


Strings of Fate (Durarara!! FanFiction)

by RogueRiddler



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Anime Durarara!!, Dollars (Durarara!!), F/M, Gangs, Ikebukuro, Manga & Anime, Mystery, Other, Romance, mature - Freeform, デュラララ!!×２ 承 | Durarara!!x2 Shou
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:54:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 53,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23308696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueRiddler/pseuds/RogueRiddler
Summary: Fate has a funny way of connecting people in Ikebukuro...On the outside, she is a normal girl. She has friends, she goes to karaoke bars, attends clubs for school, has good grades and is well-liked amongst her peers. What people don't know is what Kyoko does in her free time. She lives a normal, peaceful life, at first...Treated by her parents as a delicate flower; she is far from it... How will the mysterious city of Ikebukuro link her to those she never imagined? Will the underbelly of the city swallow her up, like some? Or will she come out like all the rest who fall in line as abiding citizens?
Relationships: Heiwajima Shizuo/Original Female Character(s), Heiwajima Shizuo/Reader, Original Female Character - Relationship, Orihara Izaya/Original Female Character(s), Orihara Izaya/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. Ikebukuro

{Hello my lovely readers! I am currently working on a few different stories and wanted to start a fan fiction about Durarara!! It's one of my all-time favorite anime. So, now I'll just post this and see how it goes. I hope you enjoy and I really do appreciate input and comments.}

* * *

"Akiba, Kyoko" the petite brunette stood from her seat and bowed to her new teacher. "Hello, my name is Akiba, Kyoko. I hope to get along with everyone and make some friends." She sat down, a few murmurs echoed in the otherwise quiet classroom.

The teacher continued calling off students and allowed them to introduce themselves.

This was Kyoko's first year in high school. She glanced around the room and smiled at a few of her friends whom she went to middle school with and already knew pretty well. Her best friend, Yumi was called on and she introduced herself.

"Hatsu, Yumi here!" She said proudly after bowing. "Don't flirt with me too much, boys. I already have a boyfriend!~" she giggled to herself, with her fingertips covering her mouth. She sat down with a curt nod to Kyoko, who rolled her eyes teasingly.

The teacher shook his head, and some girls snickered.

After her best friend, a boy who stuck out like a sore thumb stood up when his name was called.

"Heiwajima, Shizuo"   
He stood up and didn't say anything, he bowed and then sat back down. A few more murmurs were heard, but the unnatural blonde didn't raise his head, instead choosing to look down at his notebook.

Kyoko didn't pay too much attention to it. After the rest of the class was introduced, the teacher then asked if anyone would like to volunteer to be the class reps. The brunette thought about it for a moment, wondering if she'd have the time to stay after school sometimes.

Then, she raised her hand.   
"I would like to be the class rep." She stood from her seat again and walked to the front of the classroom, then asking, "Who else would like to be a class representative with me?"

Some boys looked between each other, before one of them raised their hand. "I'll accompany you." Kyoko looked to the owner of the voice, to see a boy with glasses and brown hair. "Kishitani, Shinra" she said, after looking at the roster. The teacher noted the two students in his ledger and asked them to take their seats.

Then, he started the lesson for the day.

By the time lunch rolled around, both Kyoko and Yumi seemed to slump back in their seats. Some students dispersed, leaving the classroom about half full. The two girls put some desks together and pulled out their homemade lunches. Yumi stretched her arms, "Whew, the first day is always the longest and hardest." They both giggled to themselves and started eating.

Kyoko happened to glance out the window after a while and noticed a fight seemed to be taking place. She noticed the blonde from her class right away. She poked Yumi, signaling for her to look as she had food in her mouth.

Yumi looked out the window, her food almost falling out of her mouth. "Ish that the kid from our class!?" She said, swallowing her food.

"It looks like it, he has the same bleached blonde hair." Kyoko resumed eating, occasionally looking outside. Then, she saw him lift a whole bleacher, ripping it from the ground to slam it into a few thug-looking students. Her mouth gaped open for a moment before she shook her head and closed up her lunch "there's no way he's that strong... There's gotta be some kind of trick."

Yumi finished her food, "Yeah right. I've heard from a kid that grew up with him that he's actually crazy strong."

Kyoko put her lunch away and cleaned up her mess. Yumi followed suit and a few moments later, their class started to file back into the room and took their seats. Yumi pulled the desk back to its original place and went back to her seat.

When Heiwajima walked back in, she took note of his scratches and fresh bruises. He seemed to be clutching just his arm though. She turned back to her notes before he could notice her staring.

The day droned on, the lessons were over, the students went home and the new class reps stayed behind for a brief meeting.

After the meeting, Kyoko walked out of the school building after switching her shoes. The brunette was surprised to see the same blonde outside the school, angrily glaring at a raven-haired boy in a black middle school uniform.

Kyoko started; "Kishitani-" he ran ahead before she could be heard, and grabbed Izaya's shoulder. "Shizuo, this is my friend, Orihara, Izaya."

Moments later, the blonde and raven-haired boy were fighting with each other. Shizuo had uprooted another bleacher set, and Kyoko couldn't find any explanation.   
He visibly paled for a moment, a soft crunch being heard.

She ran over and yelled at Shinra. "We shouldn't be letting them fight! We're class reps!"

The blonde swung the metal seats toward the middle schooler, who somehow dodged with ease. Almost like he was weightless.

"Hey! Heiwajima-san! You shouldn't be--"

The blonde only turned to see who was trying to tell him what to do, just about to hit the petite student where she stood, wide-eyed.

Luckily, the black-haired middle schooler jumped in front of her and quickly swooped her up and moved her from the danger.

"Shizu-chan. You can't even control yourself enough from hitting this pretty little class rep. You really are a _monster."_  
The blonde didn't seem to like this and went to throw the bleachers at him until he realized Izaya was still holding Kyoko.

"Hmph! Hiding behind someone else,"

Izaya let her go, holding up his hands in defense "I'm doing no such thing."   
"But, I do bid you farewell." And with that, he dashed away, much to Shizuo's dismay.

Kyoko stood there, shell shocked for a moment before Shizuo's voice broke her temporary paralysis. "Sorry.." She looked up at him, his voice was deep and gruff. "Nn-No worries... Are you alright?" She asked, looking at his wounds.

He didn't even seem to notice until he looked down. "I can patch you up if you wouldn't mind," she said.

The blonde shook his head, "this is nothing. I'll be fine. Thanks."

Kyoko only nodded, not wanting to touch a nerve if she pressed the issue any further.

"Alright, well, I'll be heading home now.." She said, bowing swiftly to say goodbye.

As the brunette walked around the city, she couldn't help but enjoy the lights, the smells, and the sounds. She wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around her, so she didn't really notice a rider clad in black, whizz past her on the street.   
Her walk home was rather peaceful, and she eventually reached the house with her family name on the mailbox.

When she unlocked the front door and stepped inside, she took her shoes off and put her slippers on. "I'm home!~" she called out.

Her mother walked out of the living room and smiled at her, "I didn't know you would be staying so late. We ended up having dinner without you, sweetie."

"Sorry, I volunteered to be a class rep, so we had to stay back for a short meeting. I'll try to let you know when we have them" Kyoko smiled "Besides, I'm not hungry. I'll just head upstairs and start my homework."

Her mother smiled and nodded, quietly returning to her husband to watch their favorite show. Kyoko didn't know much about it, only that it was some kind of game show.

She ascended the stairs and waved to her older brother, Ryu, in his room, her steps catching his attention. He nodded to her and returned his gaze to his homework. He was in college and attending some prestigious university so he could study abroad someday. He wants to be a Lawyer.

As she entered her rather plain room, she put her bag on its hook and took out her homework. Rather than start on it right away, she pulled out her cellphone and chatted with some friends through email. Everyone started school, same as her and we're pretty busy, so not long after, she said goodnight and began on her homework.

Meanwhile, in Ikebukuro, Shinra and Shizuo were also walking home.

"That girl from our class, Akiba-chan seems really nice," Shinra said, looking for any change in emotion in his blonde companion.

"She's alright... She didn't seem all that afraid of me though.." He grumbled to himself. _"She actually seemed kinda happy..."_ he thought.

Shinra smiled "I'm glad you caught that too."

A few weeks had gone by, and school was starting to become easier. It was almost the same routine every day.

Occasionally, Kyoko would witness Shizuo Heiwajima get into another fight, and if she was present, she'd almost always offer to tend to his injuries. Sometimes he'd come back to school with a cast or a sling. This intrigued Kyoko very much.

Usually, he would say no when she offered to apply her knowledge of first aid, and go about his business. However, Izaya slashed him across the chest after school; leaving a pretty bad gash. Today, he allowed her to patch him up. Shinra was too busy gushing over a rider clad in black.

She ushered him to follow her to the nurse's office. The nurse already long gone, as was everyone else. "Take a seat while I find the things I need," she ordered softly.

Shizuo didn't argue and sat down on one of the beds in the office. Kyoko dug around for a moment until she found everything she needed. She returned to the blonde and asked him to remove whatever was left of his shirt. To which, he complied silently and looked anywhere but at her.

Kyoko took notice of this but paid no mind to it. She cleaned his wound, also noting he barely flinched at anything. After she cleaned his wound, she dressed it with some large gauze pads and then went to wrap it.

She stepped back, and cutely raised her arms above her head. Shizuo cocked an eyebrow at this, then put two and two together. He raised his arms and Kyoko wrapped the dressing around him, having to basically hug him as she did so.  
She couldn't help but blush, his skin was surprisingly soft. When she pulled away, she handed him back his shirt and bowed to him. "Thank you for allowing me to care for you, Heiwajima-kun~"

Shizuo was taken aback by the familiar tone but didn't mind it. "Just call me Shizuo," he attempted to smile at her. "What's your name?" He asked.

She seemed a little surprised, "I'm your class rep and you don't know my name?" She feigned mock hurt before extending her hand to him, "Kyoko, just call me Kyoko,"

He took her hand, gently shaking it before letting go. "Thanks for patching me up, Kyoko-chan."

She smiled, feeling a little blush creep up her cheeks. "Its, not a problem, Shizuo." Kyoko put the supplies away and she and the blonde left the room. They walked the empty halls in silence, then changed their shoes and left the building. "It's pretty late, do you want me to walk you home?"

Kyoko thought for a moment, "Sure," She started in the direction she would normally take home, with the blonde in tow. The walk was fairly silent, except for the sounds of the beautiful city around them. Shizuo broke the silence every now and again with a question or two, mostly asking about her knowledge of the city.

Kyoko would respond, and that was their journey. It was pretty awkward to say the least, but the two enjoyed each other's company. When the brunette stopped near her gate, she looked up at her classmate. "Well, this is my house. Thank you for walking me home, Shizuo," she bowed to him and offered a kind smile.

He returned with a half-smile and shrugged "It was fun, I'll see ya around,"

"See ya, I hope you get home safe too," Kyoko said, before watching the blonde start to walk away.

When she got inside, her mother gushingly teased, "Who was that, Kyoko?~" Her father shook his head, knowing his daughter knew better before she even opened her mouth. "He's a classmate of mine that offered to walk me home since I stayed so late for a meeting."

Meanwhile, Shizuo couldn't help but appreciate the fact that this girl cared enough to say she hoped he got home safe. He shook his head free of the thoughts, his conscience getting the better of him. _"There's no way. She was probably just being nice because she's afraid of you."_

* * *

As weeks turned into months, before anyone knew it, 2 and a half years had gone by. All in their third and final year at Raira, Kyoko and Yumi were still best friends. She had even gotten to know Shizuo a little. She occasionally patched him up, and he sometimes walked her home.

Things were normal, to say the least. Kyoko had been doing great in all of her classes and remained a class rep just about every year.   
Her relationship with Shizuo was neutral, they never really ventured off into anything more than walks home and first-aid.

Shinra and Izaya also knew Kyoko very well, and she didn't really like Izaya. After some mild curiosity, she got to meet Celty, who Shinra talked highly of all the time. Kyoko was astonished by her beauty and often praised her.

She knew that these people were all much different than what her parents would assume to be good friends for her.

A sometimes pervy Kishitani, a Dulahan with amazing power, a boy with unparalleled strength, a devious raven-haired boy who stuck his nose where it didn't belong.

The young brunette smiled to herself upon this realization. She couldn't be happier with these new friends of hers.

"Hello. Earth to Kyoko!" Yumi waved her hand in front of her face, "Huh? Sorry."   
The brunette apologized. Yumi laughed and nudged her arm. "It's time to go home, silly,"

Kyoko walked out of the building, following Yumi. "Uh, I have to stop at the store and pick some things up for my computer. So, you go on without me. I'll see you on Monday," Yumi nodded and waved goodbye to her childhood friend. "Okay. Catch ya later."

Kyoko had found the store she was looking for and walked out after paying. It was dark out; she knew she should hurry home.

It was then, that three men decided she was going to be their next victim. The city was bustling, but not a single person knew they had snatched her into the darkness and cornered her in an alleyway... Kyoko couldn't help but laugh at them, unafraid of these lowlife jerks. They looked at her funny.   
"Why ain't she scared? This chick is freaky."  
Another one of them chimed in, "Oh well, that'll be fun."

They reached for her long brunette hair, but she sidestepped him and kneed him in the groin, quickly dodging the punch aimed at her face from the other guy. She took a few steps back, watching as the two collected themselves. She waited to see if the third would strike her. They all charged her at once, and she dodged them all. When they fell to the floor, she ran out of the alley and headed home.

When she finally got home, her worried mother asked if she was alright. She smiled at her and told her she had a meeting and stopped at the store on her way home. After looking over her daughter, she hugged her and allowed her to go to her room.

Once upstairs, the brunette set up her new equipment and logged on to her computer. She smiled as she read her new emails, quickly attaching some files and her response before sending them out. Kyoko had a part of her life that nobody knew about. She leaned back in her chair a little and looked at the screen with glee as she wondered how her meddling would play out.

She knew a lot about the underground world of Ikebukuro, all because of her computer. She came across a hacker by the alias of Nakura, who she had an idea as to who it could be, and she joined some chat rooms, where she talked with people from all over the world.   
Kyoko was content with her life. She liked having this underbelly at her fingertips.

Kyoko chatted with some people who claimed to live in Japan. One of them, privately messaged her, their name was Reo online. Kyoko chatted for a bit before logging off. She decided to do her homework tomorrow and went to bed.


	2. New Beginnings

* * *

By the time Graduation came around, Kyoko was more than thrilled to start the next chapter in her life. She would be attending one of Japan's prestigious universities, where she would study to become a Psychologist. She wanted to be able to help people and learn more about why people did the things they did. The human mind intrigued her.

Unlike a certain black-haired miscreant she knew, she didn't want to poke her nose where it didn't belong, except on a few occasions.

Kyoko was particularly excited to be moving away from home for the first time. Unlike her older brother, she wanted to be out on her own, and live closer to her University. It's quite expensive, but with saving and the money she made online, she didn't think it would be a big issue. Her father even offered to pay for her expenses and living arrangements. Her family was fairly wealthy because of what her father was involved in, but despite this, she told him she could handle it.

Her parents were very nervous about letting her go off on her own, but they didn't say much. They knew that Kyoko would ask if she needed help, or move back home if she needed to. They were proud of their children and didn't see why they should keep their beloved Kyoko sheltered at the tender age of 18.

After they all graduated, Yumi and Kyoko tried to make plans to keep as close and connected as possible. They were going to different universities, but they still planned to see each other as often as they could.

"I can't believe it, Kyoko. We're finally adults... Who would have thought that just a few years ago, we were still running around at the park, playing tag," she giggled.

The two girls were at Yumi's house. She was packing her stuff for her dorm and reminiscing with her best friend. "Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday. It is kind of crazy when I think about it." They had been hanging out and packing all day, and they were almost done. Kyoko filled another box and sealed it with some tape. "Your room is so barren now," she laughed a little.

"Kyoko-chan, your mother is here to pick you up!" Yumi's mother called up the stairs. "Wow, it's already 9?" She glanced at the clock on her phone. "I gotta get up early to look at apartments with my mom. I'll see you soon, okay?" The brunette stood and hugged her friend goodbye. "Good luck, and send pictures!" She gushed. "I will."

They parted and Kyoko went downstairs. she bowed to Yumi's mom and slipped on her shoes. The wind blew as she exited the house and walked down the path to her mom's car, the warm air reminding her of long nights outside with Yumi, catching bugs. She smiled and got in the car. The drive home was silent, and when she got home, she went straight to bed.

The following morning, she and her mother went out to look at some apartments near the university. The first few were within walking or biking distance, and the most expensive. They were pretty lavish for her taste, but her mother loved them. She took pictures of everything and sent them to Yumi.

The next apartment was thirty minutes from the university on foot and about ten to fifteen by train. This one was pretty upscale for her but had a lot that she liked. It had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. The kitchen was separate from the living area and the dining room. It had an upscale touch to a basic and old school layout.

"Mom, I really like this one," she turned to the realtor, "what else do we need to see today?" The woman turned to her, "just one more. Its a more dorm-like apartment, a loft space feel." She answered, looking up from her notes. "I think I like this one best," Kyoko said, snapping another picture.

Kyoko's mom smiled at this and her and the realtor sat down to start filling out the paperwork. Because of her father, she would get the apartment today, no questions asked.

The brunette sat beside her mother and filled some things out, then pulled out her wallet and paid the deposit and first month's rent in cash. The Realtor said nothing about it, only speaking about the lease and other expenses.

Kyoko thought back to the deal she made with her dad...

_"If you're so keen on paying for your own expenses, let's make a deal."_

_Kyoko nodded and waited for his proposal, "If you pay the rent, and always on time, I'll cover the utilities and send you an allowance once a month so you can spoil yourself a little. Or maybe go out with your friends."_

_She liked the idea, so she agreed and reached across the table between them to shake on it. "Its a deal." Her father chuckled and took her hand, giving it a firm shake._

The woman across from her pulled her from her thoughts, asking for a final signature and the keys were hers. She signed her name on the lease and was handed a copy, along with two keys to the apartment. Kyoko was very excited to move in, but even more ecstatic to decorate her little abode.

She quickly pulled out her phone to call Yumi, but accidentally called someone else without realizing it. When she heard them pick up, she didn't hold back. "Yumi! I got my own place! Its pretty close to the university and its gorgeous! I can't wait to decorate it!!" She mused, awaiting her best friend's equal excitement.

Much to her dismay, a gruff voice sounded from the other side, which made her check the caller ID. To her embarrassment, it was Shizuo who she called.

"Um, Kyoko-chan, you dialed the wrong number," unbeknownst to the blushing brunette, the unnatural blonde was blushing on the other end. His kid brother shooting him questioning glances.

"I'm so s-sorry!" was all she could muster out. Her face now resembling a tomato. She was stiff as a board, afraid to even move.

"It's alright. That's really cool that you got your own place. Maybe you'll have to invite all of your friends over for some hot pot or something." he tried to diffuse the situation, hoping not to sound like an idiot.

Kyoko gushed at the idea of Shizuo being so considerate, his cold self usually being the only side people see. "Y-Yeah, that would be really nice, that way we can all hang out one last time before we all go our separate ways." Kyoko twirled a strand on her long wavy hair nervously. "Well, I'm sorry again for accidentally calling you. I hope I didn't bother you."

Shizuo smiled at the phone, "As I said, it's alright. I'll catch ya later."

Kyoko could almost hear the smile in his tone.

"Bye," they both said in unison before hanging up. Kyoko felt like she was set ablaze from how hot her cheeks were.

"In all your eighteen years of life, I've never seen you so flustered, Kyoko. Who was that?~"

The brunette nearly jumped out of her skin, almost forgetting her mother was there.

"A friend from school, his name is Shizuo," she didn't add his last name, fearing her mother or father would find out and lecture her or something of the sort.

"Ooh, a boy?~" she teased her daughter, who tried to hide her face in her hands. "It's not like that, mom," she whined.   
Her mother laughed and gestured for her daughter. "Come on, we need to start moving you in. School starts in a week."

All-day, her mom, dad, and brother were helping her move into her apartment. Yumi was busy moving her own stuff into her dorm, so she said she'd stop by tomorrow.   
By the time dinner rolled around, they were done bringing everything in and unpacking it.

Her mother decided to buy some ingredients for dinner, and Kyoko helped. So, they all sat around her new table for a meal together as a family. Once dinner was had, and everyone said goodbye, her family left Kyoko in her new place for the night. At first, it was a little weird, but she liked the feeling as it settled in. She went to bed that night with a small smile on her face.

The next morning, she woke up early enough to shower and get ready before heading out to explore the neighborhood around her.

She found a lovely little cafe where she could stop and get some coffee in the morning. It even had an upstairs area to study or read if you wanted more seclusion. There were plenty of convenience stores around, and a decent shop to buy food. Everything was within walking distance, and she loved that. As she walked around, she spotted a familiar blonde in the crowd. She ran over to catch him before he got too far. He did have crazy long legs compared to the petite stature the brunette possessed.

"Shizuo!" She called, catching his attention. He turned and offered a small smile as she approached him. "Hey, Kyoko-chan," she smiled up at him and glanced between him and the smaller guy next to him. "This is my kid brother, Kasuka." Kasuka bowed to Kyoko, who mirrored him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kasuka-kun, my name is Akiba, Kyoko," she smiled.

"What are you up to today?" Shizuo asked. Kyoko blushed a little, recalling what happened yesterday. "Well, I recently moved nearby..." She trailed off. "I was just exploring the neighborhood."

Shizuo took note of her rosy cheeks and shoved his hands in his pockets. "What about you two?" She asked, trying to shift the focus away from her. "We were just out and about. We were gonna grab something to eat on the way home."

Kyoko looked down at her feet "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you. It was nice to see you. I guess I'll see you around, Shizuo." She turned to walk away, and Kasuka nudged his brother, silently telling him to invite her along. He bit his lip in frustration before reaching out for the brunette's arm. Before he could reach her, a knife collided with his forearm. He watched her slender figure disappear in the crowd.

"My, my, Shizu-chan. You can't seem to keep your grimy little paws to yourself." Izaya chuckled, making his appearance known. Shizuo growled and ripped the knife out of his arm, then, reached for the closest thing he could find, which was a lamp post. He tore it from the ground as easy as plucking a flower and waved it around.

"You filthy fucking flea!!!!" He roared, the crowd now circling the two. Izaya smirked and continued to taunt the blonde. "She's just an innocent young woman, Shizu-chan. Why try and taint her?"

Shizuo swung the pole towards Izaya, missing him by a hair when he dodged effortlessly. Kasuka tried to calm his brother down, Kyoko having heard the commotion, turned around to see an all too familiar sight. Izaya and Shizuo were fighting.

She ran back that way and pushed through the crowd as onlookers snapped pictures and took videos.

"Shizuo! Izaya! Stop!" She ran in between the two before either of them could lunge for the other. "Kyoko-chan! What a lovely surprise!" Shizuo kept his glare on the raven-haired punk as he approached Kyoko.

He slung an arm around her small shoulders, fingering the material of her sweater. "Sweet little Kyoko, may I ask you a question?" His words were directed at her, but the whole time his eyes were on Shizuo.

She nodded her head, the crowd dissipating.   
Izaya noticed how the blonde would tense up even more whenever he touched Kyoko. So, he decided to test a theory.

"Have you ever been kissed?" He asked, watching as the blonde's eye twitched at this.

Kyoko blushed like mad and shook her head no. Izaya spun the petite girl around and leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips when she suddenly leaned to the side and punched him hard in the gut.

The raven-haired boy didn't expect this at all and coughed to recover.

Shizuo and Kasuka stood there, silently. The blonde couldn't help but smirk a little at this. He had no idea she could handle herself.

When Izaya regained his composure, he stood up straight, clutching his stomach. He too smirked. He actually got a little excited and started chuckling. "Well, little Kyoko-chan... You have surprised me,"

Kyoko waited to see if he would do anything else, but he didn't.   
He simply cast the girl and unsettling look and disappeared into the crowd.

Shizuo was too amazed to care that he got away. Instead, he walked over to Kyoko and pat her head. "That was pretty cool, Kyoko-chan,"

"Thanks, Shizuo," the girl blushed "I try to avoid confrontation or violence.. But sometimes I can't help it." she got a little lost in her thoughts. Kasuka snapped her out of them.  
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Akiba."

Kyoko bowed and smiled at the pair, "The pleasure was all mine, you two. I have to do some shopping, so I'll see you around?"

Shizuo nodded and turned to walk away with his brother in tow.   
"She's cute," he mumbled. Shizuo sighed and tried to keep from getting irritated with Kasuka.

Kyoko headed to a few shops and picked up a few things that she thought would make her home feel, well, homey. When she got home, she set the things down and decided to set up her computer. She hasn't been on it in a few days and wanted to see what was going on in the city she adored.

A little while later, Yumi stopped by with some snacks. The two girls planned to watch movies all night and gossip about what's to come.   
While settled on the couch watching a horror movie, they were under some blankets, munching on snacks when there was a loud knock on the door.

Both girls jumped, Yumi actually squealing. Kyoko looked over at the clock, noticing it was only 8 p.m.

Her parents didn't say they were coming over. "Did you invite people over?" Kyoko asked. Another loud knock rang out through the apartment. Yumi shook her head, they both got up, clad in their jammies and walked to the door. Kyoko pushed a button and a screen lit up, showing who was outside.

"I don't know them..." Kyoko whispered. She pushed another button for the intercom, "Hello, um. I think you have the wrong apartment."

The two males looked at each other, "Your nameplate says Akiba. We have the right apartment. If you open the door, we'll tell ya more about ourselves."

Kyoko let go of the button and stepped away, making sure all the locks were in place.

"Should we call the police?" Yumi asked, looking between the door and Kyoko. She shook her head, "This could have something to do with my dad... But I'm not sure."

Yumi knew all too well what she meant. "How would they know where you lived? The only way they'd know is if your dad wanted them to... He'd probably have guys watching over your place... They'd know who they were."

Kyoko nodded, agreeing with her friend.   
_She's right, they look like they're around my age. Give or take a few years._ _It is possible if my dad has men posted around, they would know if anyone tried to get by... They probably just thought they were some friends of mine..._

"I'm going to call someone.." Kyoko said, just as they continued to knock. "I think he lives nearby."

"Okay, I'm going to go sit back down," Yumi replied, walking back to the living room.

Kyoko pulled out her phone and looked through her contacts.

The dial tone was all Kyoko could hear, even as the men tried to get a response. _Please pick up... I don't know who else to call..._

When the gruff voice answered the phone, Kyoko mentally cheered. "Hey Shizuo, I'm really sorry to call so late, but there are these guys at my door and they won't stop knocking and asking me to open the door. Do you think-" before she could ask, she was cut off "I'll be over there in five. Don't open the door until you hear just me on the other side. What's your address?"

She relayed to him what he needed to know.  
After that, the call ended and Kyoko went back to Yumi, and they huddled up on the couch together. A bright flash of light illuminated the otherwise dark room. The giant window that overlooked the city collected a few droplets of water before the grey sky opened up and it started to rain. Momentarily distracted by the rain, Yumi tugged her back to reality, up and to the door.

The brunette turned the camera on, noticing that Shizuo had shown up.   
He asked the guys what they wanted, to which they responded, "None of your business, asshole."

This made Shizuo visibly angry. He didn't ask anything else before picking them up by the collars and throwing them down the stairs.

"Don't you ever come back here, or I'll kill ya!"

Kyoko unlocked and opened the door, peering out at Shizuo. "Are they gone?" She asked, Yumi peering over her shoulder before stepping away quietly to go back into the living room.

"Yeah, and if they come back, just call me," The blonde rubbed the back of his head and turned away, looking over the railing.

Kyoko opened the door all the way, revealing her full figure, "Thank you Shizuo, I really appreciate you coming out this late to help me. D-Do you have to be back right away? I-I'd like to thank you,"

Shizuo turned to look at her, "You really don't have to-"

She cut him off mid-sentence, "I want to,"   
the brunette grabbed Shizuo's arm and pulled him inside. "I'll make you something. I have plenty of leftovers. Do you like curry?" She asked, shutting the door behind him. She continued to pull him into the house until she was in the dining area, ushering him to sit down.

When he did, she smiled happily and told him to wait there while she fixed him a plate. She went into the kitchen and took the food from the fridge and started heating it up on the stove. Once she was done, she put it all on the plate and scooped out the fresh rice she made, onto the plate. She then set everything on a tray and walked out to deliver the meal to the blonde.

His eyes widened at the amount of food she brought him, and couldn't help but smile when he took note of how cute she looked in her pajamas.

Clad in a pair of white silk shorts and matching top, the brunette set the tray down and placed the food before him. She pulled out a chair and sat across from him, "I hope it tastes alright," she mused, blushing a little. She couldn't help but imagine that one day she'll be serving her husband's food like this. Kyoko looked up at Shizuo, who seemed to be enjoying the food thoroughly. "It's really good, thank you Kyoko-chan."

Yumi peeked over the couch, eyeing the pair. She remained silent.

Once the blonde was finished, he put his chopsticks down and thanked Kyoko for the meal. "It was delicious, but I should be going now." the young man stood from his chair, as did the young woman. Together, they walked to the door.

Kyoko opened the door and allowed Shizuo to step out, he said goodbye and went to walk away. Kyoko reached for his sleeve, "Shizuo wait," he turned to look at her and was met with soft, warm lips on his cheek. "Thank you,"


	3. Nothing but a Fleeting Memory

(I'm not the best at starting stories sometimes, but bear with me please, I promise it gets better! Drop a comment with some input maybe?)

* * *

Kyoko had begun her classes and things seemed to be normal again. Only, she didn't see Yumi as much as she used to. Her classes were going well, and she seemed to be home more often than not. She spent her time mostly doing homework, studying or being online.

One night, after stopping to get some groceries, she stepped outside and glanced down at her phone. She got a text from one of her clients, asking her to stop by and hand-deliver the intel they required. She thought this was odd, seeing as she tried to remain anonymous. Nonetheless, this was her highest paying and regular client. So she responded and received an address in return. It was somewhat nearby, so she started off in that direction and let them know she would be there soon.

They wanted to meet at a cafe, so, when she got there she sat down in a corner. She went to pull out her cell phone when a hand covered the screen, she looked up and met a pair of rusty brown eyes. "Izaya?" She stood from her chair and smiled a little. "It feels like it's been forever," she said half-heartedly. Izaya feined a smile and sat across from where she sat. Kyoko sat down and looked around for anyone who seemed to be her client. "I am your client, Kyoko-chan" her eyes went wide and she looked back at him, trying to regain her composure. "I am Chrome, your client." He said.

Kyoko shook her head, then dug into her bag and pulled out her mini file book. She flipped through the pages and pulled the files Izaya needed. When she slid them over, he slid over a small envelope, they traded glances before picking up their items. Kyoko counted the money, confirming it and then standing from her chair after putting everything away. She didn't say anything, just before she could completely leave, Izaya grabbed her wrist.

"You know, Kyoko..." He trailed off, looking up at the brunette. "Your life isn't as secret as you think.."

She pulled her hand away, then walked away. When she got home a little while later, she prepared dinner for herself and cleaned up after eating. When she was done, she started on her homework. The brunette couldn't help but start to wonder about what Izaya had said to her, among other things. She was still processing the new information when she was pulled from her thoughts by a soft nudge to her knee.

The brunette looked down at the kitten before her and pet her on the head. "I'm sorry, Momo." She laughed. "I have homework to do, pretty kitty," the kitten meowed and nuzzled up against her, getting comfortable before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

When she finished her homework, she moved her kitten to her bed and put her things away. She glanced at her clock and sighed. It was a quarter past midnight and she had to be up in about 6 hours for a class. She made sure her door was locked and the lights were off before climbing into bed and passing out a few minutes later.

The next morning Kyoko got up to her alarm and rubbed her eyes. Her kitten happily perched on her chest. She smiled and pet her head before getting out of bed and making it.

As she got ready for the day, she made sure to feed Momo, clean and get ready for class. She dressed fairly warm for the autumn weather. Clad in a fitted knit dress, black pantyhose, and a pea coat; she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She sat down and slipped on her knee-high black boots and left, locking the door behind her.

Her morning routine was pretty simple after that, she stopped for some coffee and a small breakfast and went on walking to the school.

Her day was simple as well, usually, she would go to class and take notes, then to the lounge or library in between classes to study or do homework. Today, however, was a little different.

When she walked into the library, she noticed a familiar bleached blonde talking to a student, who seemed to be cowering in his chair. Shizuo seemed to be with a brunette man with dreaded hair. Shizuo was even wearing a bartender get up.

She stood by and watched for a moment, just as Shizuo yanked the guy right out of his seat and growled something to him. The guy nodded profusely and was set back down. The guy accompanying Shizuo shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets before motioning to leave with his head.

Kyoko decided to walk over and say hello before they left. She couldn't help it, after all. She was so intrigued by his inhuman strength.

"Hi, Shizuo," she bowed to him and his companion "I'm glad I ran into you here. Are you here for school?" Shizuo looked the petite brunette up and down before answering her, "I'm here for business, what about you?" He asked, his dreaded companion looking between the two curiously.

"I go to school here," she smiled up at him, then glanced down at her watch. "I have about 45 minutes until my next class. Do you mind if I buy you all some coffee?" She asked, Shizuo and Tom looked between each other, then shook their heads no.

The brunette clapped her hands together cheerfully, "good, I'll be right back." She left the boys and quickly went to the small coffee shop just outside the library.

Once she was out of earshot, Tom smirked at Shizuo. "I think she really likes you," Shizuo remained silent, trying to focus on the smell that lingered when she left. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he enjoyed the scent.

"Probably not.. She's just that nice," he mumbled back. Just as she returned with three cups of coffee. They all sat down and Kyoko passed the cups. The silence at their little table was a little awkward, but it soon passed.

"Shizuo, what is your job? It seems very interesting," Kyoko asked, looking like a child who just asked for candy. "Tom and I are debt collectors..." he trailed off like it was nothing interesting. Tom didn't say anything, instead opting for a sip of coffee.

Kyoko's eyes lit up and she leaned over the table a little closer, "That sounds fun!" she mused, "it's the perfect job for you," she smiled widely. "You're so _strong..._ It must be heaven, being able to use your amazing strength... And you've got the look down too!~"

Tom bit back a chuckle, Shizuo silently sipped his drink. It was taking every fiber of his being not to react embarrassed. His body wasn't listening to him, and he didn't like it.

A faint pink dusted his cheeks, and Kyoko noticed. The petite brunette simply couldn't hold back. She loved Shizuo's abnormal ability. It's what made her want to become a doctor.

Unbeknownst to the trio, a raven-haired informant was watching from a short distance away. He knew very little of Kyoko. Ever since the incident, He's been very curious about the brunette. Not much was known about her or her brother despite the infinite sources the man has. He was only able to get common knowledge. It was as if his children were ghosts to the system.

He didn't like this, given his career and personality. He liked knowing all that he could. So, he had to do his own research. If that meant some light stalking, then so be it.

Kyoko finished her drink and looked at her watch again. "Oh, I have to get to class," she stood up and threw her empty drink away. Shizuo and Tom also stood up, following suit.

Shizuo and Tom thanked her for the coffee and waved bye as she walked away.

The blonde and Tom left the university and carried on with their day, collecting debt and occasionally stopping for cigarette breaks. Near the end of the day, they were outside smoking when Tom asked about Kyoko. Shizuo knew it was coming, and he tried, but to no avail, to keep the questions to a minimum.

"So, how do you know each other?" He asked. Shizuo took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke out. "We went to Raira together. She sometimes patched me up when I fought."

The blonde wasn't against talking about the brunette, but he didn't want to indulge his senior anymore. He always tried to keep his personal life separate from his work life.

Tom shook his head. "There's something about that girl... She had this gleam in her eye when she saw you," he chuckled "I think she likes you."

Shizuo scoffed, "I don't think so." He sighed and died the cigarette out before shoving his hands back into his pockets.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was leaving the university when she was stopped by the gates by a raven-haired troll.

She looked up at him, he had essentially pinned her to the wall, his hands on either side of her head.

"Hello, Kyoko-chan. Did you have a wonderful day at school?" He cooed. Kyoko pushed him back a little before answering, "Can I help you, Orihara-san?"

A few people passing by looked at the pair, whispering among themselves. Izaya grinned, "As a matter of fact, you can," before Kyoko could respond, Izaya continued speaking "I want you to stay away from Shizuo Heiwajima and work for me."

Kyoko rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Why would I work for you?" She chose to ignore the bit about Shizuo. "I know who you are, and who your family is. I don't think you want that information to be made public, do you?" he snickered and took a step back, "after all, why would they continue to let you attend this prestigious academy if your fathers business was made a public ordeal. Even if you are paying them under the table, they still wouldn't allow you to come here."

Kyoko bit her lip, "why do you want me to stay away from Shizuo?"

Izaya smiled mischievously. "Personal reasons. I can't have him interfering with my work if you're working for me, now can I?"

Kyoko didn't want to work for him.. And she certainly didn't want to stay away from Shizuo... But she couldn't let her father's true job and lifestyle be made public.

Sure, the Yakuza is more powerful than Izaya... But once it was made public, even if people didn't believe it, there's no way they'd look at her or her family the same again.

She sighed and held out her hand to Izaya, "I guess I have no choice then,"

Izaya's grin widened and he threw his arm around her shoulder. Kyoko wasn't happy, and she made it known to the informant.

"Now then, we need to get you a few things and I'll show you where you'll be working."

The informant led her around town, bought her a cell phone for work only, a laptop and made a spare key. It was getting late and he still needed to take her to Shinjuku. They got on the train and basked in each other's silence until they got to Shinjuku.

Once off the train, he walked a short distance with the brunette tailing behind him. He stopped and pointed to a tall upscale building. "This is my building, I'll show you the penthouse."

Kyoko sighed and followed him inside, half wondering if this was all a sham and he wanted to kidnap her or something.

They both rode the elevator up and got out, there was only one door ahead of them. Izaya gestured for her to go first, "try your key, make sure it works." He said from behind her.

Kyoko pulled the key from her pocket, slid it into the lock and twisted. She turned the handle and pushed the door open. The giant window across the room illuminated the entire room. "I'll save the grand tour for when you start." Izaya's voice broke the silence.

"Why do you want me to work for you so badly? You're an informant, as am I. How do you think that will work?" She asked, turning to look at him.

Izaya walked through the door and shut it behind him, sauntering over to Kyoko. He stopped mere inches from her face, "You see Kyoko-chan, I adore humans..." his voice was low and deep, his eyes locked with the girls. "You, on the other hand, intrigue me more than any human has in my life so far."   
He took a step closer, and she one back. "I don't know what it is about you, but I find myself thinking about you, and your life more often than not. You're like a parasite to my brain. You're all that I think about sometimes." He took another step, pushing her to take another one back. The back of her knees bumping the arm of the couch. Izaya reached out and grabbed her by the waist. "I've never loved anyone before, not even my own family. They were nice people, I should have felt love towards them, but I really didn't. My life is normal. But, the _**idea**_ of _**you**_ is driving me insane. What to do with you, Hmm?" his breath fanned her skin and she swallowed hard. She couldn't look away from him.

She didn't feel scared or intimidated, she actually felt their bodies touch, for a moment. At that moment, her eyes fluttered, her cheeks warm and red; her lips drew closer to the taller stature before her. His body frozen in place.

Izaya's body seemed to shift closer, just as he did, they both snapped away. Their senses coming back to them.

Kyoko pulled back, touching her cheek and looking down at the floor. "I should be getting home now..." She bowed and walked past him.

As the air in the room shifted with her steps. Izaya's nostrils flared, the scent of the woman rippling through him now.

When Kyoko reached the bottom floor she headed in the direction of the train station. The moment she sat down on the train, her mind went blank. The city zoomed by in a blur of color. Everything was a blur until she reached home and got inside. Then, everything seemed to settle down even more and sink in. She flopped down onto her bed, her kitten coming to greet her as usual. Kyoko decided it would be best if she just acted as if nothing happened.

The brunette hadn't noticed it before, but her heart was still racing. She couldn't tell if it was good or bad...


	4. Rendezvous?

To say the job was tedious would be an understatement. Izaya didn't need her around. He had her running petty errands and organizing his files. It has only been a week, and Kyoko was very annoyed with Izaya.

One of the only perks of the job was that she could gain more intel through the files he had her organizing. She even learned that the men who came to her apartment were sent by a lower gang, looking to try and mess with the Yakuza. They were petty criminals, trying to work their way up. They thought by possibly kidnapping Kyoko or Yumi, they would blackmail them. They're still in the hospital.

Kyoko looked over at Izaya, who was playing some weird game. She sighed and glanced at her watch. "Can I go home now? I've been here all day."

His amber eyes peered up momentarily, then his finger, which gestured for her to come to him. She rolled her eyes and walked over to him, folding her arms upon her approach.

Her left hip jutted out; Izaya's eyes explored her curves.   
"Do you need anything else before I go?" She asked again, a little more aggressively.

Izaya waved his hand dismissively. Kyoko rolled her eyes again before walking away with a huff of frustration, gathered her things and left the penthouse.

When she got outside, she stretched and pulled out her phone. She had a few text messages from a few classmates asking if she wanted to study. She scrolled a little further and saw the last time she texted Shizuo. She frowned, recalling she never had anyone over to have hot pot.

The petite brunette shoved her phone in her pocket and started walking to the train station. When she finally got to the station and got on the train, she received an email from unknown contact.

It asked if she wanted to join The Dollars.

Her curiosity bested her and she found herself accepting it, and clicking on the link. A few moments later she was sent a link to a website and a password.

When she followed the link and logged in, she was given a screen name and a forum popped up. A small introductory post was made, which she read. It seemed trivial, but who knew. Maybe it could be something one day.

When the train stopped at her stop, she got off and walked the rest of the way home.  
By now it was much darker out, and a little brisk.

She happened to hear what sounded like grinding metal and loud shouts a ways away. She knew it was Shizuo, and it took all her might not to walk in that direction.

Even now, the girl was trying to find ways around Izaya's blackmail. She hated feeling tied down to him. Like she owed him something. She was her own person, her property, and she hated not having control over the one thing she could at all times; herself.

She huffed in frustration, her warm breath clouding at her lips from the cool weather.

It was almost as if the city wanted the two to see each other.

The guy Shizuo was chasing ran right past Kyoko, shoving her from behind as she walked down the street. The floor rushed towards her and she braced herself for the impact.

It never came.

Firm hands held onto her waist, then hoisted her up.   
"Kyoko-chan?" He pulled her to his chest.

She gasped, then looked up at him. "Shizuo?"   
He looked down at her and cracked a small smile. The two held onto each other before Tom walked through the small crowd and cleared his throat.

Kyoko didn't want him to let go, she loved the feeling of his strong arms around her. It made her feel so secure and safe. Her face was beet red, her heart pounding as she internally fangirled. But, she didn't want to risk potentially ruining her family's reputation. So, she jumped back and whirled around to look at him.

"I'm so sorry Shizuo, but I have to go! Thank you for saving me!" She spun on her heel, leaving the blonde confused and a little bashful.

When she got a good distance away, she stopped running and rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She released a sigh and stood upright. She felt guilty about running away from him like that, but she knew Izaya had eyes and ears everywhere. As she started walking home, she bit her lip in frustration and tried to think of any ways to get around Izaya to at least keep her friendship with Shizuo.

When she reached her apartment, she idly went through her normal routine until she was finished. Having eaten and done her homework for the evening, she sighed and logged on to her chatroom. Nobody was currently online.

With a huff of frustration, she grabbed her phone and called Yumi. The dial tone rang a few times before the sweet, and an oddly shrill voice boomed back at her. "Kyoko! Great timing! I was just about to call you to see if you wanted to go out dancing tonight?"

Kyoko smiled, missing Yumi already. "I would love to, where are you thinking?" She held the phone between her shoulder and her ear, walking into her closet to look through her clothes. Yumi asked someone the name of the place, sounding a ways away for a moment before coming back as loud as before, "I forgot, it's the club we've always wanted to go dancing at! Remember? 'Re-Nu'" The brunette smiled, "Yeah, I remember now. Are you already there?" She asked, taking note of the music in the background. "No, a few girls from my dorm and I are at a karaoke bar. Then, we started talking about going dancing. So, are you in?"

Kyoko was already planning an outfit. "I'm getting an outfit together now. I'll meet you there?" Yumi squealed in excitement and kept saying 'yes'. So Kyoko told her she'd be ready in about twenty minutes and would take a cab there.

When they finally hung up with each other, Kyoko was already almost dressed. She tussled her hair with her fingers and glanced in the mirror. She decided on a black bralette with a sheer top over it, and a pair of black shorts. When she stood in front of her full-length mirror and examined herself, she felt that something was missing. She thought it would be a bit cold for just shorts, so she dug through a drawer for some pantyhose. When she found the ones she was looking for, she put them on underneath her shorts and hurriedly went to apply some light makeup.

Finally deeming herself ready, she checked her phone for the time and raced to get her shoes on at the door. Pulling her slender legs into her black suede over-the-knee boots, she zipped them up in the back and pulled her arms through her coat sleeves. Her long pea coat covered her body and would shield her from the cold.

She grabbed her purse and walked out of the door into the brisk night. When she got down the stairs to the street level, she looked out onto the street for a vacant cab. When she didn't see one, she stepped out a little onto the street and tried to hail one.

Eventually, one pulled up beside her and she climbed into the cab. She relayed the address to the driver and buckled herself in before the cab pulled out into the traffic.

The ride was short, as Kyoko's mind drifted in and out of her thoughts. Adrenalin coursed through her when the cab pulled up to the club. When she got out, she sauntered up to the front of the line and whispered something in the bouncer's ear. He immediately pulled the door open for her and let her in.

She got her hand stamped and walked through the crowd to the bar and ordered a drink. Yumi had texted her a few minutes before she arrived to tell her she was also at the bar and would wait until she saw her.

After the bartender brought her her drink, she asked him to start a tab for her and looked around for her eccentric best friend. A pair of warm hands then grasped her shoulders, followed by a shrill squeal that could be heard even through the booming music.

"Kyoko!" She jumped up and down; Kyoko sipped her drink. "Yumi!" Kyoko hugged her tight, then ruffled her hair when she pulled back. "You've clearly been drinking, " Kyoko laughed.

"And you have not!" Yumi retorted, bringing Kyoko's drink to her lips with a huge grin.

The song changed to one with heavier bass and both girls trudged through the crowd to the dancefloor. The room seemed to vibrate around them, the music enveloping their minds and bodies. A small opening was made for the two when they both started moving their bodies along to the beat, some stopping to watch these vixens in their glory.

They seemed to meld with the music, their bodies twisting and gliding seamlessly to the rhythm. They happily indulged in the music and the drinks they knocked back in between songs. Kyoko wanted to leave all her worries behind for once and enjoy her youth.

Up in the lounge, Izaya was in the middle of a 'meeting' with none other than Kyoko's father. The entire room was in the middle of the club, all windows made of one-way glass. So, all those inside could see the booming nightclub below.

The men conversed for a while before Izaya slid over an envelope full of highly sensitive information. Kyoko's father motioned for one of the men to pick it up and hand it to him.

After looking over the contents of the envelope, he nodded and another man slid over a suitcase.

"The deal is done," Izaya stated, standing from his armchair.

Kyoko's father stood as well, nodding once before leaving the room with his men altogether.

"Well that was awkward," he sighed and walked over to one of the windows looking over the club.

Down below, men and women were surrounding both Yumi and Kyoko as they danced around and with each other. The crowd was particularly loud, which caught Izaya's attention.

He looked down, Kyoko catching his eye immediately. He couldn't help but grin, his mind feeling entranced by her body.

When the song ended, Kyoko threw her hair back and ruffled it, feeling the heat of the room envelop her. She pulled Yumi close and told her she would be right back. She headed to the bar and ordered a round of shots. She leaned over the cool glass counter and caught her breath; a particularly drunk guy bumped into her shoulder and knocked her off balance and into someone on the opposite side.

"Hey, watch it-" the grumbly voice sent a shiver through her body; his voice was unmistakable.

They both turned to each other, Kyoko's heart swelled. The blonde, now clad in a pair of jeans and a button-up, smiled immediately, "Hey, Kyoko-chan"

"Shizuo," came her exasperated reply. "What brings you here?" She asked, trying to keep from smiling too much.

Shizuo pointed over his shoulder, Kyoko's eyes wandered and locked on to Tom, who was partying it up in a VIP section.

"He looks like he's having a blast," Kyoko noted with a chuckle. Shizuo rubbed the back of his head, the bartender brought the round of shots over to Kyoko.

Shizuo had been already drinking, feeling a little liquid courage course through him, he stepped a little closer to the petite brunette.

She looked up into his eyes, her heart ready to burst out of her chest. He placed no more than a finger to her supple cheek, gently stroking it with the back of his finger; he cleared his throat. "Kyoko, I have to tell you something..." he trailed off momentarily, Kyoko's body drawing closer to his tall stature. "But, I'm not sure how to say it,"

Kyoko looked up into his golden-brown eyes, her own fluttering with nervousness and glee. "You can tell me anything, Shizuo,"

Their faces drew closer, their lips almost touching when a pair of firm hands gripped Kyoko's shoulders, pulling her away from Shizuo entirely.

She whirled around in fury, her eyes landing on none other than Izaya. Her blood boiled and her hands formed fists. "Izaya?! What the hell do you think you're doing?" She bellowed, wanting nothing more than to tear him to shreds.

He clicked his tongue, "tsk tsk, Kyoko-chan, I thought we had a deal?" He pulled out his pocket knife, looking past the girl to the beast behind her.

Shizuo glared daggers at the filthy troll and prepared to lunge at the bastard.

In that instant, Kyoko stepped between them, hands to both of their chests. "Knock it off! This isn't a playground!" She huffed and turned to her shots still sitting at the bar. She tossed them all back and walked away from the two, murmuring under her breath "you're both grown men, start acting like it" before making her way back to the dance floor to Yumi.

Both men stood there, glaring at one another, but neither said a word.

They both walked away. Shizuo returned to Tom and Izaya slunk back into the crowd to find Kyoko.   
When he did, he couldn't watch as these greasy men tried to dance all over her. He sighed and shoved them all away, before grabbing her arm and pulling her to his chest. "We need to talk, Kyoko-chan,"   
When she tried to resist, his smile faded "Now."

She glared and talked to Yumi for a moment. They both found the exit and Kyoko got a cab for Yumi. She told the driver where to go and closed the door behind her best friend once she was inside.

Then, she turned to Izaya and crossed her arms. She could feel the alcohol settling in her body now, as the cold didn't bother her and she felt a slight buzz in her body. "What do you want, Izaya?"

He had been patiently waiting for her the whole time, only now he stepped closer and draped his jacket around her. "You know perfectly well why I am upset, Kyoko-chan,"

"Because I was talking to Shizuo, big deal!" She scoffed, feeling a little liquid courage of her own. "You may be blackmailing me, but I can still do whatever I'd like, Izaya. And I wasn't just talking to Shizuo, by the way! I was ordering my drinks" she added, turning her head away from him in mock disgust.

The informant sighed as another cab pulled up, he opened the door and ushered the lady in before climbing in as well. He told the driver Kyoko's address and he drove off. Making sure to keep his voice down, he leaned over and whispered in Kyoko's ear, "that may be true, but I own you, Kyoko Akiba."

The brunette seemed to have fallen asleep; Izaya sighed.

Upon arriving at her apartment, Izaya paid the driver and got the girl to her apartment in no time. He gently laid her in her bed, pulled off her shoes and pulled the blanket over her. He left the room and shut the door behind him.

Deciding to stay, he helped himself to her plush couch and sat down.

========  
Upon waking up, Kyoko felt the sunlight beaming down on her.

Abruptly sitting up, she looked around frantically before jumping out of bed to examine herself. She didn't hear anything and didn't see Yumi either.

She quietly opened her desk drawer for her pocket knife and walked to her bedroom door and slowly opened it, thankful it didn't make any noise. She walked down the hall, and into the living room and stealthy as she could, before seeing a lumpy figure on her couch. She crept over and saw the owner of the body to be Izaya. Her blood boiled, and she ripped the jacket off his body before kicking him awake.

He groaned and bolted up himself, looking very displeased. "That's very rude, considering I brought you home last night." She kicked him again, only this time in the shin. "Get out of my house! Why are you even here?!"

The tall and lanky figure now stood before her, seemingly very pissed off.   
_"I guess he isn't a morning person."_ Kyoko thought

"I couldn't just leave now could I?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why not? I don't see why you thought you needed to stay! Now, please leave before I-"

He cut her off before she could get the words out, covering her mouth and shoving her a step back. "Stop being so loud," He sighed and uncovered her mouth, "I can't lock the door after I've left, and you were passed out cold." Izaya grabbed his coat and ruffled his hair. "I was going to leave as soon as you woke up, anyway." He grumbled. 

"Oh..." the brunette trailed off, feeling defeated. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to trouble you. Thank you for staying..." her voice softened at the end, feeling the guilt wash over her. She hung her head a little, contemplating, _"Maybe he's not as bad as I thought?"_

"Plus, now you owe me." Izaya chuckled.

And there went an thought of redemption for Izaya's sick and twisted little soul. Kyoko groaned and sat down on the couch where Izaya was sleeping. "Now, what?" She asked nonchalantly. 

"I need you to do something a little different than your usual errand this time..." he stood taller now, more focused and awake. Kyoko frowned, fearing the worst.

Meanwhile, a trio of friends walked home from school together, laughing and smiling without a care in the world.

Passing the infamous Shizuo Heiwajima, who was particularly grumpy today. The teens gawked and whispered amongst themselves as he passed, then quickly crossed the street to avoid getting in his way.

Back at Kyoko's apartment, the brunette was stepping out of the shower and drying off when Izaya knocked on her door. "Hold on, perv. I'm still drying off"

"I have your _costume,_ Kyoko-chan~" he stated a sing-song tone in his voice.   
_"That doesn't_ _sound_ _good,"_ she thought to herself as she slithered into a robe and tied it at the waist before walking out.

When she did, she was met with the ever so slick, Izaya poking around her room. She cleared her throat and got a reaction from him. His shoulders jumped and he spun around, clearly startled.

She ignored him, and held out her hand, asking for this outfit he was talking about.

He smirked and unzipped the bag that was around the clothes. When she saw it, she sighed miserably.

A little while later, Kyoko was waiting in a private room at a high-end restaurant, waiting on this client Izaya had.

She was wearing a very scandalous "high school uniform" and a wig; she felt like she couldn't move or all would be exposed. Her face was permanently pink from embarrassment.

She heard Izaya in her earpiece, "Don't look so stiff, relax. _I won't_ _let_ _anything happen to you."_ The last part sent a shiver down her spine, it sounded so sincere and almost seducing. Kyoko bit her lip.

"My client is making his way inside the building, remember, you are Nakura and you work for me."

"I got that, but I don't see why I needed to be wearing this ridiculous outfit!" She whisper-yelled. She could hear Izaya chuckle, "you'll see" Kyoko could just hear the smirk.

"Client is coming into the room" she heard.

The door slid open, revealing to the man a beautiful school girl awaiting him. He slid it shut and sat down across from Kyoko.  
"Mr. Orihara knows me too well, how are you, my dear?" He was tall and built, he fit the description of a mobster almost to a 'T'. Everything about him screamed danger.

Kyoko offered a smile, "I am wonderful, thank you. My name is Nakura and I am here on Mr. Orihara's behalf." Kyoko placed her hands on her lap, trying to keep the skirt from riding up.

 _"Mr. Orihara sounds so sexy coming from you, Kyoko-chan~"_ he teased, making her blush even more.

"My name is Mr. Otanashi, will Mr. Orihara be joining us, sweetheart?"

Kyoko smiled at him, "I regret to inform you that Mr. Orihara is very busy and will not be able to attend our meeting this afternoon."

"Don't get me wrong, princess, I'd love to spend my time with you," he stood and walked over to the loveseat Kyoko was sitting on and sat beside her, throwing his arm around her shoulder, fingering the material of her top. "But I really need to speak to Mr. Orihara." He leaned in to smell her.

 _"You have to_ _flirt_ _a little,_ _I_ _need him to trust you enough to give you the intel"_ Izaya said quietly through the earpiece.

Kyoko swallowed her pride and allowed her inner actress out.

She turned to the man and pressed her chest against his arm, holding onto him, "Mr. Orihara trusts me implicitly, Mr. Otanashi. If I don't return to him with what he has requested, I'll be punished. You wouldn't want me to get punished, would you?" She looked up at him, clinging to him a bit tighter. She had brought her legs up onto the loveseat to get a little closer.

Mr. Otanashi gripped her chin delicately, his hand slithered around her waist. He pulled her to his face, their lips almost touching. "Now, how could I turn down a beautiful girl such as yourself, practically at my mercy?" He smirked and pulled back to reach into his back pocket. He pulled out an envelope and placed it in her hands before leaning back in.

"I do hope Mr. Orihara lets me play with you for a bit before you have to go," he cooed. Kyoko was pushed back onto the love seat, he positioned his body between her legs, making her squeal out. "Mr. O-Ot-Otanashi, w-wait, no." He chuckled at her, "That is why Mr. Orihara had _yo_ u meet with me, isn't it? To make up for not showing up himself?"

Kyoko shook her head, "Mr. Orihara wouldn't be pleased if you took advantage of me, Mr. Otanashi"

He rolled his eyes and slid his hand up her thigh, not saying anything before leaning in to kiss her.

She heard Izaya curse before the doors to the room were thrown open and Mr. Otanashi pulled off of her.

Izaya stood there, pinning Mr. Otanashi to the wall with a blade to his throat.   
"Mr. Orihara will be very angry you touched his lady that way, Mr. Otanashi."

Mr. Otanashi shoved Izaya off of him and smoothed out his clothing before silently leaving.

Kyoko sat up on the seat, finally having found her senses. Her fingertips flew to her mouth in shock.

Izaya spun around and threw his jacket around her and escorted her out the back and into a car. "Take me home," he said. Kyoko remained silent the whole time, still trying to process everything.

Izaya kept glancing at her, making sure she was okay. He couldn't read her and it drove him mad, more than anything. He could read anyone, anything, no problem. But not Kyoko.

When they finally reached his penthouse, she handed him the envelope.

"Kyoko-chan, are you alright?" Izaya asked, finally breaking the silence. "I'm fine, just a little shaken up. I wasn't expecting him to try and force himself on me... but then again, I should have, since I'm wearing this," she looked down at herself. 

Izaya glared and stood up, walking over to the girl, and zipped up his jacket on her smaller figure. She looked up into his eyes, feeling her heart flutter. She couldn't help herself, thinking back to what he said at a time like this. Her cheeks flushed red, _"Mr. Orihara sounds so sexy coming from you, Kyoko-chan,"_

She shook her head free of the thoughts, trying to avoid eye contact, "what's the matter?" Izaya asked.

"I-I-I, u-um, n-n-nothing," she stammered out, looking down at the floor.

"This is quite uncharacteristic, Kyoko-chan," his concern became cockiness, and he took a step closer, reaching up to gently take ahold of her chin. He raised her gaze to meet his, noticing her cheeks.

Her eyes wandered away from his face, and he made her look at him. When she did, he smirked and Kyoko pulled away angrily.

"I need to go home, I'll see you tomorrow." She walked out the door with her belongings and locked the door behind her.   
She took a cab once she got to the street level. The ride was fairly quick since she was lost in thought the whole way. She laid her head in her hands, mentally cursing herself for acting the way she did. Normally she can handle herself, but today she seemed to be completely out of it. Even dropping her guard around Izaya, of all people.

She stepped out of the cab, just as a loud clap of thunder echoed throughout the city and the sky opened up. She threw her head back and let the rain fall upon her face. She shivered after a minute of standing there, enjoying the rain and hugged Izaya's coat closer to her body. She started walking up the stairs and to her floor before it dawned on her.

She had Izaya's coat.

When she got inside, she held it close to her face and inhaled the scent, not fully realizing her actions. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink and her heart skipped a beat. "Izaya, what are you doing to me?... I thought my heart belonged to someone else..." she sighed and made her way to her bed before plopping down and going to sleep.

[A.N. how was this chapter? I put a lot of blood sweat and tears into this one, so, I hope it's as good as I think it is. Let me know what you think. ]


	5. Tangled in the Web

<https://youtu.be/Ncd4gKmZImw>

(Just a song for your enjoyment)

* * *

A few days had gone by and things seemed to settle down for once. Izaya had told her he didn't need her to assist him for the past two days; even when she was there, Izaya was his usual weird self. In her newly found spare time, she was walking to Shinra's apartment to visit him. He was the most straight forward person she knew that wouldn't turn around and use anything they discussed against her. 

He usually kept to himself and they weren't super close in High school, but they still talked about their common fascination with the otherworldly phenomenon that is Celty and Shizuo. 

Much like Shinra, Kyoko was drawn to things that didn't make sense. She liked to be challenged and her skills put to the test. Which is why she also wanted to become a doctor. She wanted to be able to probe the unnatural for answers. She gushed _**"That's why you like Izaya.."**_ She found herself mentally admitting. This made her a little upset, her brow knitting together in annoyance. Her face twisted into a look of disgust. 

She found herself at their apartment door already, having to pull herself from her thoughts when the door was pulled open and the ever so eccentric Shinra beamed at her. "Kyoko! How wonderful to see you! Come in, come in!" He gestured inside, stepping away to let her pass. She stepped inside and took her shoes off, then walked into his living room and helped herself to a spot on the couch. He shut the door behind her and walked into the living room as well. He sat adjacent to her and rested his hands in his lap. 

"So, what business brings you by out of the blue?" He asked, picking up a cup off of the table and bringing it to his lips. Kyoko heaved a small sigh and poured her guts to the Mob doctor. 

"Well, I seemed to have gotten mixed up with Izaya...."

\------------------------------------

Sometime later, after telling Shinra just about everything, she sat back into the couch cushions, seeming to finally relax. 

Shinra had been listening intently the whole time, not once interrupting as she talked. When she sat back, he took it as his opportunity to speak his mind now. 

"I see...." He cradled his thumb and index finger to his chin, "I firmly believe Izaya doesn't have a shred of humanity in his body, so I wouldn't put it past him to have an ulterior motive. It isn't like him to want to actually help anyone or anything of the sort..." He looked to Kyoko for any changes in her body language. When she didn't change, he pressed on "As far as Shizuo goes, we share a common interest, although..." He trailed off for a second, his eyes never leaving the brunettes. "It seems more like you have a crush on Shizuo and are also very obsessed with his inhuman strength." The doctor noticed a pink flush flood the girl's cheeks upon saying this but didn't comment. 

"I may have an idea about getting through his 'deal' with you, involving Shizuo."   
Kyoko perked up at this, wondering what the madman had conjured in his mind. "Please, tell me!" She nearly jumped out of her seat. 

Shinra smiled and leaned forward, smirking a bit. "The answer has always been right in front of you. You just need to be smarter than him at his own game and you'll be free of him." He sat back to adjust his glasses, "I mean, what better way when you're working for him and are always around his intel, and himself." 

Kyoko thought about it for a moment, contemplating how she could outsmart the ever so slick informant. She smiled when the ideas started coming to her. "Thank you Shinra, I think I know what to do now," She smiled and stood from the couch, stretching a bit. "I think I'll head out now and get to work." Shinra also stood, walking with her to the door. "Don't be afraid to stop by now and again, Celty misses you." Kyoko pulled her shoes back on and nodded, "Thanks again, Shinra. Tell Celty I miss her too!" She left the apartment and headed for the elevator. Just as the doors slid shut before her, Celty herself was just getting in from a job. 

\----------------------

Meanwhile, a certain informant was back at his penthouse spinning in his chair, enjoying all that he could do through this new web forum called 'The Dollars'. He paused to glance around, remembering he had been so busy and dismissed little Kyoko for a few days. He was growing bored without her around, despite all that he had to meddle with at his fingertips. He closed the forum on his phone and sent a text to the brunette. 

_'Kyoko-chan, I require you again, please bring something to make for dinner while you're at it.'_

Upon receiving his message, the brunette smiled to herself. She had plenty of time on her walk to figure out just what she needed to do to get what she wanted from the informant. 

She stopped at a store when she got closer to the penthouse and picked up something to make for him as he requested. While waiting to check out, she couldn't help the fluttery feeling all over her. When the cashier rung her up, they couldn't place the unnerving feeling they got from the girl before them. She seemed normal enough but rung her up quickly nonetheless. 

Upon entering the penthouse, Kyoko was met with three knives flying through the air towards her. She gasped and immediately stepped to the side at the last second. 

"What the hell?!" She asked, turning to glare at Izaya. "I just wanted to see if you would have time to react," he replied nonchalantly. She shook her head angrily and went straight to the kitchen to start preparing food for the maniac. Izaya watched from the other side of the kitchen, opting to sit on one of the counters. He was momentarily surprised as she unloaded the bags and opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass for herself. 

She pulled out the rest of what she needed and began getting to work, occasionally taking a moment to sip the bitter wine as she chopped away at various vegetables and pieces of meat. Once everything was seasoned, she placed the ingredients into their pans and began cooking. All the while, Izaya watched her every move intently. "I didn't know you drank so casually, Kyoko-chan." She turned to him, smiling a bit. "Really? The glorious Izaya Orihara doesn't know something about me?!" She feigned a gasp and held a hand to her heart in mock horror, "There's _a lot_ you don't know about me, Izaya." Her mockery fell from her face and settled into a warm smile. She turned back to her task and a little while later, dinner was made and set at the table for the man before he could say anything else. 

She sat across from him, which was unusual, considering she waited to eat until later or ate in the kitchen. Plus, he rarely ate at the table. She poured herself another glass of wine and began eating, Izaya also began to eat. 

"Mmm, your food never ceases to amaze me. It's always so delicious, Kyoko-chan!~" She could tell by now that this was his only 'normal' exchange with her. He always wanted her cooking. Never take out. Although, she could never really tell if he liked it or not. 

As he ate, he kept his eyes on her for the majority of the meal. He would occasionally pause to admire her in their silence. Everything about her seemed delicate and fragile. Like looking at a porcelain doll. He admired it, but he also wanted to break that doll. He wanted to see how the pieces would shatter, how they would fall, or what they might look like when glued back together.

Her brown locks seemed to catch the remaining light from the giant window of the room in all the right ways, making them look like stringy layers of caramel falling from her crown ever so gently. Her rosy petal pink lips pursed ever so slightly in between bites of her food. It was almost like watching a movie for Izaya, he was so caught in her essence, he was almost caught staring a few times. Almost. His eyes flew to hers, watching with every blink as her thick wispy lashes would brush the very tops of her cheeks.

Kyoko was no novice to his ways, and already knew he was looking at her now and again. She didn't pay it any mind. She was currently concentrated on finishing her wine.

When they finished eating, Kyoko cleared everything away and cleaned it all up in no time. Her eyes wandering to the man now at his desk, silently grinning and typing away at his laptop. She took the opportunity to test the waters of her new plan of revenge. 

She strode over to him, a glass of wine in hand and stood beside him. "Izaya..." She placed the glass on his desk after a sip, followed by her hand resting on his desk; the other on her hip as she waited for him to look at her. When their eyes met, she knew she had him. 

He turned to look at her, their eyes locking momentarily before they trailed her stature. He internally groaned, remembering their first encounter in this penthouse. He mentally cursed himself for recalling that at a time like this. He slid away from the desk a bit to turn and face her fully. "Yes, Kyoko?" His voice was low and deep, but what shocked him was the lack of honorific. 

She stepped a bit closer, almost standing over him. She leaned down and got closer to his ear, "Do you remember that party Shinra threw in high school?" Izaya's mouth twitched into a small smirk, "It's a bit hazy for me, could you refresh my memory?" He asked, pulling his head back to look into her eyes for any answers. He didn't find any; this made him angry. He didn't like not knowing what people were thinking. 

Kyoko sensed this and helped herself to Izaya's lap, without skipping a beat, she delicately pressed her lips to Izaya's; just a small peck to test the water. Izaya tensed beneath her, every nerve in his body was screaming at him, he didn't know how to decipher the feeling. He didn't know if it was good or bad. He hated it, but he also loved it. Kyoko turned a little, exposing a little more of her leg, taking Izaya's hand and placing it on the exposed skin. His fingers twitched, feeling the raised flesh swarm over her skin under his fingertips. He smirked and shoved all logical thinking to the side. His lips met hers once again, just as cautiously as before. Their lips danced eagerly, Izaya demanding dominance over the kiss. Kyoko almost smirked between their hasty exchanges, but fought the urge and fought back for her dominance. Their tongues met in the wet heat, their bodies getting closer but not close enough. Izaya slid his hands beneath the woman and lifted her effortlessly, situating her to straddle his waist in his chair, never breaking the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck for support, one hand tangling in his hair. Their chests pressed against each other, drawn in like magnets.

Kyoko had to mentally give him props for not dropping her, and decided to reward him by deepening the kiss, if possible. Izaya's hands remained on her butt, slightly clenching his fingers around the flesh as he reciprocated almost every move the woman on top of him made. His hands eventually slithered to her thighs, rubbing up and down teasingly. Kyoko smiled into their kiss, finally pulling away for breath; her lips connecting to Izaya's neck, which sent a shiver down his spine. His mind was spinning, he almost couldn't formulate any coherent thoughts; it was driving him insane. 

Just as he was growing impatient, the feelings of lust tugging at him, a knock sounded at his front door, followed by the ringing of the doorbell. A low and audible growl escaped the informant as he angrily pulled away. "I wasn't expecting anyone..." He looked to Kyoko to remove herself from him, although his eyes said: _"Don't you dare move a muscle."_ Kyoko bit her lip and stifled a giggle of amusement. She slowly detached herself from him, making sure to make physical contact in every way in the process. When she stood, he shoved her onto his desk, crashing their lips together once again. He pulled away briefly, "They'll eventually go away" just as their lips touched, the knocking got louder and more insistent. Izaya sighed, the temptations of lust slipping away as the knocks continued. He released Kyoko and gestured for her to answer the door. She did as he implied, surprised to see Mr. Shiki standing on the other side. 

"What a pleasant surprise!" Izaya's fake happiness beaming more than ever to stress his frustrations to the only person who would understand at that moment. Kyoko giggled and allowed him inside, shutting the door behind him. 

The pair went on to discuss business, while Kyoko stepped outside to revel in her success. This was working so far exactly as she planned. She knew better though, Izaya was near impossible to read, but tonight proved she was starting to catch on. She only hoped he wouldn't figure it out and lead her right back into his hands again. 

When she saw Mr. Shiki leave the apartment, she went to walk back inside, but he stopped her. "It ain't my business, but do you know what you've gotten yourself into?" Kyoko smiled at him, holding her hands behind her back, "Of course, Shiki-san, I've known him since high school, I think I can handle him." He cocked a smile at her, "I only ask because you're family and I want to make sure nothing happens to you, you just let me know if anything does" He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down at her. "I appreciate the concern, and thank you" she held her index finger to her lips, in a 'shushing' manner before walking back inside. "Goodbye, Shiki-san, have a wonderful evening." She shut the door behind him without receiving a response. Izaya was still pouting when she returned. She started to gather her things, glancing at her watch, "I should be getting home, I have exams to study for." 

Izaya didn't seem to like that and seemed hesitant in dismissing her. Nonetheless, he waved his hand carelessly and turned around in his chair to face the large window overlooking the city. She took the opportunity to tease him just a bit more, slowly walking up behind him and leaning down to his ear, "Goodnight, Mr. Orihara." She was pleased to see that she had startled him, which was no easy feat. He met her eyes in the reflection of the window. His expression was hard to read this time, he seemed a little too pleased himself as if he liked that she caught him off guard. Her face twisted into a bittersweet smile and before she turned away to walk to the door, he could have sworn he saw her blow a kiss with her lips. 

When the door finally shut and the soft click of the lock sliding into place echoed across the room, he listened for her footsteps to fade away down the hall before releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He groaned; it turned into a chuckle, then full-blown stomach gripping laughter. He wiped a small prick of moisture from the corner of his eye when the maniacal laughter ceased, "Ah, Kyoko-chan, you never cease to amaze me!" He spun a few times in his chair, trying to figure out her motives. To his dismay, he couldn't place it this time. She truly was a mystery and that made his blood boil. "I guess there _is_ a lot I don't know about you, Kyoko Akiba."

\-------------------------------------

The next morning, Kyoko woke ever so blissful, despite staying up late to study for her exams. She awoke on the right side of the bed and prepared herself for the day's events with a smile on her face and a skip in her step. Who knew what the day held?   
Upon arriving at school, she received a message alert from the Dollars forum, someone had reached out to her in regards to the post she'd made when she got home last night. She smiled to herself and typed a quick response before heading inside, even happier than before. 

The exams were easy, and Kyoko had no doubt she was more than equipped for them, so when she left the school that day, she decided she wanted to treat herself and went to the local mall in Ikebukuro to go on a shopping spree. 

It wasn't that packed, considering it was a Wednesday afternoon. So, she leisurely walked the mall and wandered the stores at her own pace, trying on and buying whatever she liked. Sooner or later, she realized she had plenty of bags and not much arm space left; so she made her way to the exit and flagged down a cab. Once settled inside, she remembered the person she was talking to on the Dollars forum. She pulled out her phone and sent a few replies before looking to glance out the window. The city seemed as lively as ever as the scenery passed her. Kids walking home from school, women carrying out their errands, going from shop to shop, couples enjoying each other's company. She paused on that thought, the city looking much different to her now as it loomed in her mind. Was she attracted to Izaya _and_ Shizuo? How could that be? She knew exactly what Izaya was. She wanted to steer clear of him if she had it her way, yet, here she was. Thinking about him. Her eyebrows knitted together in frustration. On the other hand, she wanted to get to know Shizuo. The list stopped there. Why did she want to know him if it weren't for his strength? Her heart fluttered. She didn't know why, all she knew was that was the only reason she could come up with, yet every time she was near him she felt like a blubbering school girl all over again. 

She sighed and snapped back to reality when they pulled up in front of her building. She paid the driver and gathered her things before making her way up the stairs and to her door. Dumping her load of clothes and other miscellaneous items in her room. Not particularly tired she decided to check the school website for her test scores. To no surprise, she aced them with perfect scores. Feeling a little bold after today, she pulled out her phone and texted Shizuo. She was getting tired of feeling trapped by Izaya and wanted to test the boundaries once more. 

_'Hey, it's been a while, stranger.'_ She texted, then set her phone down to change into more comfortable clothes. Mid outfit change, her phone dinged and she hurriedly ran over to it, then mentally cursing herself for proving herself right. 

_'Hey Kyoko-chan, how are you?'_ She smiled, imagining his voice while reading his response, 

_'I'm doing great actually, I just took some exams for school and passed with flying colors. How are you?'_ She rolled off her bed and resumed changing, then walked into her bathroom to wash her face. 

'Ding' She finished up quickly and plopped back down on her bed to get comfortable. 

_'That's great! I wish I was that good with school stuff '_

She realized that their conversation was rather awkward and straight forward, which made her feel guilty to some extent. 

_'That's okay! You're doing an amazing job as a debt collector! '_

Kyoko sighed, wondering how she could amend this, but to no avail. She wished she had more to say or talk about. 

_'Thanks, but I feel I could be better at controlling myself...'_

Bingo! Kyoko smiled, finding the light at the end of the tunnel.

_'Maybe I could help you? I mean, I used to patch you up after fights. Maybe I could help you get better at controlling your anger or even just help you find a better way of handling it. What do you think? '_

There was a small delay in his response time, but she didn't think much of it. She decided to scroll through the Dollars website a bit more. A few random posts here and there, but the majority were like little information blips about Ikebukuro, and other rumors or mishaps happening in the city. She smiled at a few, wondering why some people made it a point to go out of their way to say some things. A few posts caught her attention, mostly concerning Shizuo himself, "The Strongest Man in Ikebukuro," She smiled. Others made her visibly upset, seeing how people painted him as a monster. 

Her phone 'dinged' again, indicating a new message. 

_'I honestly would love that. Thank you Kyoko-chan. You've always been a great friend.'_

She couldn't help the smile, then the sinking feeling in her chest upon reading the word 'friend'. She didn't quite understand why it bothered her. Little did she know, the debt collector struggled so hard with a response. 

Ever since that night he helped her out, he's had a different outlook on her. He often found himself referring to her as 'cute' in his thoughts, or just simply thought of her at a random moment in the day; wondering what she did, what her routine was. She was plaguing his mind, and he didn't know how to feel about it. 

Shizuo's phone buzzed in his pocket, his heart skipped with anxiety. 

_'Sounds good! I can't wait to get started. Let's shoot for this weekend if you're not busy? I have work and school all week, but on the weekends I'm all yours!'_

The blonde felt a wave of relief wash over him, but he also felt nervous and excited all at the same time. He quickly tapped a response, Tom already finished with his cigarette and signaling them to get moving. 

'Perfect, I'll let you know when and where. Thanks, Kyoko-chan. Goodnight.' He smiled as he pressed send, reluctantly shoving his phone back into his pocket and walking off and falling in step with Tom. 

"What's got you in such a good mood all of a sudden?" Tom asked, rounding a corner. Shizuo blinked away what seemed to be a daze and shoved his hands into his pockets almost nervously. "Remember that girl that bought us coffee at the university?" He asked, watching for any expression on his face. "Yeah, yeah. That brunette that's crushing on you! I remember her. What's up?" Tom chuckled, "She's kinda helpin' me with some stuff is all..." He trailed off, shocking Tom momentarily. In all the time they've known each other, he's never seen Shizuo stumble over words or act bashful. Hell, he's never even seen him blush. He kept his silly comments to himself this time and analyzed the blonde's face carefully. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him at first, but then he noticed it. 

The tiniest tug of a smile at the corners of his lips; that's all Tom needed to see to know that Shizuo was genuinely happy for a moment. He smiled too, then pat Shizuo on the back. "That's good, I hope it all works out for you." He reassured him. "Now, let's finish this quickly and head in for the night, I'm beat." They both stopped in front of an apartment building, looking at the numbers on the doors before they found where they needed to be. 

\-----------------------------------------

By the time Saturday rolled around, Kyoko was more than giddy, she was practically jumping out of her skin when her final class ended the day before, and just about on cloud 9 when she woke up this morning. 

When she rolled over in her bed, she checked her phone, eagerly opening a message from Shizuo. 

_'Good morning, Kyoko-chan. I think it would be best to meet at that park near Raira to start. How does noon sound?'_ She smiled as she quickly typed a response, 

'Sounds good to me, see you then!' 

She got out of bed and walked into her bathroom to start the shower when her phone began ringing. Without looking at the caller ID, she just answered and held the phone to her ear, "Hello?" 

Izaya's slick voice came through from the other side, taking her by surprise. "Good morning Kyoko-chan. I need to borrow you again, I have another sick client who's into teenage girls and you did so well last time. Can you be here in thirty?" 

Kyoko glanced at the clock on the wall, it was only 8:30 am, but she really didn't want to be bothered with this right now. She sighed, "I'm afraid I have prior engagements, Izaya." 

There was a slight pause, Izaya seemed taken aback from what she could tell. Usually, she was on top of everything for him, always ready to do as he said. Which is what he wanted. 

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Kyoko-chan" he grumbled angrily. Kyoko pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think of a way to convince him otherwise. She decided to test the next part of her little scheme. "I know it doesn't work that way, but my hands are tied here... Please, Izaya?" She tried to put some emphasis on the 'please' and his name. There was another bit of silence. "Fine." was all he said, followed by the line going dead. 

Kyoko rolled her eyes and tossed her phone down before walking back to the shower to start her day. 

The hot water relaxed every muscle in her body, she released a satisfied sigh as she washed her hair and body, enjoying every minute of her shower.   
When she finally stepped out, she wrapped a towel around herself and hair, then she stepped out into her bedroom.

All the blood in her body went cold. In her bedroom, five men stood surrounding her. She instinctively took a step back, looking every single one of them in the eyes. None of them looked familiar. 

"Who are you?" She demanded, now standing taller and speaking loud and clear. A few of them seemed surprised she wasn't cowering already. 

"We're part of the Black Diamonds," The 'leader' looking guy stated. He took a step closer to Kyoko. She secured her towel around her and tried not to give anything away, although she seriously doubted they could read body language that well.

When two more men stepped forward, the leader lunged for Kyoko. She stepped back, angling her body, shoulders back and thrust her fist into his face as hard as she could. He cried out and clutched his face, the rest of the gang grabbing for Kyoko. She was able to get a few good punches in, even finding an opportunity to roundhouse kick one of them; but when she turned back to aim another punch, one of the other members slammed a lamp down over her head, rendering her unconscious.   
  


A/N: I put a lot of hard work into this chapter! So, I hope you like it. Let me know what you think is going to happen next! I have yet to receive any comments and it makes me sad because I know a few people are reading at the very least! Come on! I know you must be a Drrr!! fan, let's talk about it! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Thank you. 


	6. Reminiscent

_Flashback to Raira Academy_

It was a warm spring morning when Kyoko was walking to school with Yumi, the pair conversing about what they were going to do during the weekend. It was their second year at Raira and they had a good routine going.

"I have to go with my parents this weekend to some formal dinner for my dad. I'm sorry, Kyoko." Yumi said, turning to look at her best friend. "It's okay, we spend every weekend together anyway, I'm sure a small break will be fine." She teased.

"What lovely ladies to enjoy my morning walk with~" Kyoko rolled her eyes as Izaya fell into step beside Kyoko.

The wind blew and you could almost smell that summer was around the corner. The pair remained silent as the boy walked beside them, smiling as usual. They knew all too well not to say much around him, he was popular at their school for stirring the pot.

When the school came into view, Kyoko started walking a bit faster. Yumi knowing all too well why as she fell into step beside her.

The brunettes gaze way almost immediately locked onto Shizuo, watching him as she drew near with stars in her eyes. She loved getting to school early just to sit outside, bask in the lovely weather and watch Shizuo go about his daily routine. She knew it seemed very stalker-like, but her watchful gaze was just that. She never followed him or kept things he threw away. Yumi knew about her infatuation with him and instead settled for watching Izaya every now and then. He always hung around outside, flocking with multiple groups, always seeming to be in a hurry. He always kept himself just out of Shizuo's line of sight on calmer days. 

Kyoko was looking between the blonde and the sky when Izaya interrupted her gaze to him when she looked down. "Can I help you, Izaya?" She asked, noticing Shinra walking up to them. Before Izaya could say anything, Shinra handed Yumi, Izaya, and Kyoko a piece of paper. To her surprise, it was an invitation to a party at his truly's house. 

Yumi immediately sighed, "I'm going to be busy with my parents all weekend!" she hung her head in defeat. "I'm sorry to hear that, we'll miss you there, Yumi-chan," Shinra said sympathetically. He then turned his gaze to Kyoko, "Will you be in attendance tonight?" Izaya's eyes met hers momentarily. "I don-" Before she could finish, Yumi cut in, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Of course, she's going to have twice as much fun on my behalf!" Shinra beamed, and looked to Kyoko for reassurance. She smiled and nodded her head, despite mentally cursing at Yumi. 

Shinra cast a questioning, yet hopeful look to Izaya. "I'm busy this evening," was all he said, both Kyoko and Shinra releasing a sigh as he walked away. "Why invite him if you don't want him there?" Kyoko asked, looking up into his eyes. "Well, I invited Shizuo so he wouldn't feel left out, and so maybe he can make more friends, but I also didn't want to be harassed by Izaya if I didn't invite him." He finished, looking over his shoulder for him. 

"Is Shizuo going?" Kyoko found herself blurting out, startling the other two. She hung her head a little out of embarrassment. Yumi giggled and Shinra nodded. "Yeah," He looked at his watch "I need to hand some more of these out before the bell. See you later." He turned on his heel and walked away. 

Kyoko looked back to where she last saw Shizuo and frowned when he wasn't there. She looked to her best friend, "Why did you say I was going... I wanted to stay in tonight and watch a movie!" She groaned. Yumi smiled "That's exactly why!" She laughed. 

==============================

School went by way too fast for Kyoko, and during her and Yumi's walk home, her stomach was doing flips. She didn't know why she was so nervous about the party. When the pair parted ways, Kyoko hurriedly got home so she could try and find something to wear. 

She dug around in her closet and tried to figure out what would be a good outfit for a party with her school mates. Her mother came by and peeked into the room, a small smile on her face as she watched her daughter rummage through her clothes like a maniac.   
"Kyoko, what have you got going on?" Her mother leaned on the doorframe,   
looking around the now messy room. Kyoko looked up, slightly alarmed "I don't know what to wear for this party I was invited to," she heaved a sigh and held some clothes up to her body and looked in the mirror. "I have no idea what I'm doing, Mom."   
Her mom stifled a laugh and shook her head teasingly. "It's not that hard, let me help you get ready." She stepped into the room and started looking through the clothes, picking pieces she liked and started making outfits.   
After a while, her mom had narrowed it down to one outfit, which was a baby pink skirt and a cream button-up blouse, paired with white sneakers and a   
cardigan in case she got cold. The outfit was very girly and simple. Kyoko couldn't believe she couldn't put this together herself. Her mom sat down on her bed after they put all the clothes away and laughed. "Don't be so nervous, it's all part of being a teenager. Everyone goes through this. Just smile and remember to have fun." She left the room after kissing her daughter's head and reminding her of her curfew. After adding minimal makeup Kyoko grabbed her purse and left the house. She knew the area fairly well and was confident she could walk to Shinra's house in no time at all.

She pulled the invitation out to double-check the address and walked up to the door. She knocked a few times before an ever so happy Shinra opened the door, "Kyoko! Glad you made it! Come inside!"

She walked in and saw that a lot of people were already inside, including all of her friends. She was shocked to see Izaya there, having recalled his reply from this morning.   
Her eyes scanned the room, failing to realize the two would civilly be in the same room with each other without trying to tear each other apart. A small pout formed at her lips and Izaya walked up to her with drinks in his hands. He raised one for her to take, which she did. "I thought you said you were busy?" She asked, looking at the cup before taking a sip. Her face scrunched up momentarily; spiked punch.

She took a moment to appreciate that Izaya could be normal too, despite his tendency to be the biggest jerk in the room. 

"I was," he replied nonchalantly. Kyoko was expecting him to further his statement, but he didn't so they stood their awkwardly for a few moments before Shinra called for everyone's attention. The pair looked over and sipped their drinks, "Good evening everyone! I'm sure you're all having a grand time, but I think it's time we played a party classic!" Everyone fell silent as he paused, wondering what he had in store "Seven minutes in heaven!" Most people cheered, probably because they were already drunk. The rest of them kind of dispersed so they wouldn't have to play. "How childish," Izaya chuckled half-heartedly. "What do you mean?" Kyoko found herself asking, sounding a little defensive. "It's such a stupid game, I don't understand how that could be any fun." 

Kyoko laughed a little, taking another swig of her drink "That's the beauty of the game. Do you even know how to play?" She caught a glimpse of a blush on his cheeks, "It's rather simple. Two people get randomly thrown into a closet. One of them is blindfolded and has no idea who came into the closet with them. The person who can see can do whatever they want to the person who's blindfolded for seven minutes." 

Izaya laughed, "That just proves my point. A stupid game." Kyoko shrugged and looked around the room once more, noticing a certain blonde had made his way inside. "How?..." She trailed off, looking up at Izaya. "I don't understand you two.." Izaya shook his head, "For the sake of normalcy, Shizu-chan and I have an unspoken agreement to leave on another be in situations like this. Just like at school, we're not always fighting, or else nobody would learn anything."

Kyoko nodded to herself, but her eyes and attention remained on Shizuo. This made Izaya visibly annoyed, but he walked away, already scheming his new game. 

Kyoko tried her best to stay away from the game but ended up next in line anyway. Somehow. She internally groaned as the blindfold was tied around her head and covered her eyes. She was guided by Shinra into the closet and silently waited for whoever it was to enter after her. The only sound to be heard was the booming music vibrating against the walls around her. 

When the door opened again, someone walked in and sat beside her on the little makeshift bench of what feels like blankets. "Hello?" She asked hopefully, she raised her hands to feel whoever was in there with her. She felt a broad chest and shoulders, which told her it was a guy. Her hands trailed up to the face, where she was met with a firm jaw and somewhat long hair. Her heart was racing, she had no idea who this was and they didn't want to tell her either. The person leaned down and kissed the back of her hand, which made her face flush. "What do you plan to do, Mystery Man?" She was becoming anxious and impatient.

They leaned in and pecked her lips to see how she would react. "Whoever you are, you have soft lips." She complimented bashfully. She leaned forward and met their lips again, hoping they would kiss back. When they did, she tried her best to keep up with them. This was her first kiss. 

It felt right to her, like second nature. She was so worried it would be like all those awkward stories from her friends that said they didn't know what to do or something along those lines. The mini-makeout session was rather intense for Kyoko's first kiss; she was thoroughly enjoying herself. Daring to be a bit bolder, she gripped the guy's shoulders, drawing closer in between each chaste kiss. The mystery guy even put his hands on her waist, which Kyoko allowed. A small beeper rang out above their heads, indicating the seven minutes were up and Kyoko immediately ripped the blindfold off. Her heart just about stopped when she looked into Izaya's rusty brown eyes as their lips parted. "I-Izaya!? Wh-Why did you come in after me?" Her face felt like it was a million degrees, she was frozen in place. "I wanted to try the game after all." He replied casually, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Why does it matter? Were you hoping I was Shizu-chan?" He laughed, making Kyoko feel like she wanted to cry. "No, I wasn't hoping for anyone, but I was least expecting you of all people!" She got up and knocked on the door, letting Shinra know she was ready to come out.

When he opened the door he looked at her apologetically and pulled her aside. "I'm so sorry Kyoko, I tried to keep him out, but he threatened to trash my house..." Kyoko hugged Shinra "It's okay, I understand." He was going to tell her something else when she disappeared into the crowd and made her way out of the house and to her own home. She decided that night that Izaya Orihara was exactly what everyone thought he was and she hated him. 

Back at the party, Shizuo also left in a hurry, seemingly very pissed off. 

After that night, Kyoko became a different person for a while, she was reclusive, more than normal and snuck out countless times at night. It was then she discovered the true depths of the underworld. She thought she knew what she was getting into before, and boy was she wrong. She had only scratched the surface; this new world excited her far more than she realized and before she knew it, she was in with some of the worst people in Ikebukuro. The great thing about it; nobody knew who she was. Her family was such a tight-knit secret, that nobody knew who her father was. She was just another 'rat' to them, trying to work through the ranks. Eventually, she was under the wing of one of the worlds highest-paid hit-men. 

\---------------------------------------

Kyoko's eyes snapped open, revealing the unfamiliar room around her. Everything came rushing back to her like a sped-up movie trailer in her head. She looked around again, trying not to move her head too much, fearing she might have a mild concussion. She didn't see anyone, but she could hear people talking outside the room she was in. She examined herself next, noticing she was being bound at the wrists above her head and suspended from the ceiling. She was now wearing a button-up shirt, which told her these men still had _some_ humanity. She sighed, wondering why anyone would want anything to do with her. Izaya had been very good at keeping his end of the deal and keeping the information he had acquired to himself. 

When the door opened up, the man calling his gang the Black Diamonds came inside. "Awake now? Very good." He walked over to her and pushed her, making her body sway and her wrists ache. She took note of the somewhat weak metal pole holding her to the ceiling. She knew better than to give him the satisfaction of inflicting pain; she kept a stoic expression. "Alright, tough girl. We'll see how long you can keep that up. But first, I need to tell you why you're here"

She rolled her eyes and waited for him to continue. "We noticed you hanging around a certain shithead in Ikebukuro, does the name Izaya Orihara ring any bells?"

Kyoko remained silent, not entirely sure where she should stand in the matter. They seemed to be a small gang, but they knew a few things, more than she'd like to admit. She decided to remain quiet until she could figure out how to get out of here. 

"Not gonna talk, huh?" He kicked Kyoko in the side, making her swing hard to the left, making her wrists feel like they could fall off. Still, she remained silent and stoic. The guy scoffed and held his hand up, silently demanding something. One of the other guys handed him what looked like Kyoko's cell phone. She took a deep breath, hoping they would stop pretending to play mobster and get to the point. 

"If you won't talk, we'll just have to start sending nasty videos to all of your contacts until one of them comes forward as Izaya." Kyoko shrugged, narrowing her gaze on him. _'How stupid can you be? If you know anything about Izaya, you're making a big mistake, the second you reach him, he'll just ping the phone'_ she thought, trying not to laugh out loud in their faces. _'Not to mention if her father saw anything like this, these men would all die.'_

He unlocked her phone, just as it started ringing. "Chrome, eh? Who's that?" He answered and held it out for the other guy to hold up. He walked over to Kyoko and pulled a knife to her throat. She heard Izaya's voice on the other end but remained silent.

"Kyoko-chan, I paid a visit to your house and noticed you'd left such a mess behind. I didn't know your prior engagements required trashing your house." He waited for a response, but Kyoko didn't move a single muscle. "Kyoko?" He tried again. The man with the knife pressed it into her skin, drawing a little blood; she didn't even flinch. Unsatisfied with her responses, he brought the knife down to her thigh and stabbed it into the flesh. 

She wasn't expecting this and screamed out in pain, cutting whatever Izaya was saying short. The line was silent, "I see...." Was all he said before the line went dead. The guy groaned in annoyance, still unsatisfied with the way things were going so far. 

"Some friend you have, let's try someone else." He left the knife in her leg and walked over to the phone and scrolled through her contacts, "Hmm, seems you know Dr. Kishitani..." After scrolling back and forth through the contacts, he tossed the phone and stomped on it. "I think I'll just cut the answer out of you." Kyoko started laughing, much to his surprise. 

"What the fuck are you laughing about you dumb bitch?!" He stalked towards her and before he could fully stand before her, she swung her legs back and forth, kicking him in the face. She used his body to push off and use the momentum to pull all her weight down to snap the bar that bound her to the ceiling. When she fell to the floor she yanked the knife from her thigh and quickly wound her still tied hands around the guy's neck, who was still recuperating from the kick and held the blade to his throat. "Who's the dumb bitch now?" She backed up a little so the other two didn't dare make a move toward them.

"How many of you are there?" She asked, pressing the blade into his neck, "There's only six of us, I swear!" He was panicked, which was good. "Are you lying to me?" she asked softly, "No, I swear! I swear!! Please don't kill me!" He begged. Kyoko laughed and swung her arm down and plunged the knife into his thigh exactly where he stabbed her. He screamed out, louder than she had. "An eye for an eye, my friend. I trust I'll be seeing you again." She shoved him to the ground and waited to see how the other two would react. They both stood there, afraid to move. "Oh, and next time you think you're ready to play mobster, you better be prepared to die."

She leaned down and picked up her shattered phone. "Point me to the exit or you're next. You cost me my date." The cronies both pointed to the nearest door and she found her way from there. When she got outside she nearly met her end when Izaya flicked out his blade in surprise. "Where are your pants?" He asked, not even phased by the fact that he almost stabbed her. "Have you been stabbed? Those bastards!" She put a hand up to his chest to stop him and unzipped his jacket. "Oh no, you kept the last one!" He argued, Kyoko glared at him and yanked it off of his body before pulling it onto her body to cover her exposed flesh.

"Leave it be, I already took care of it. What time is it by the way?" Izaya glanced at his phone, "It's 11:30," He shot her a look and watched as she fought herself. "I had a date at noon, I don't know what to tell him now," This seemed to get under his skin immediately. 

"You can worry about your date later. You need to get that wound stitched up." He said coldly. He picked her up after watching her failed attempt to walk and took off in the direction of Shinra's place. "We're not far from Shinra, so hang tight in the meantime." he sighed.

Kyoko remained silent, even as she got her stitches. When they were alone again and Izaya seemed to be in a better mood, she piped up about what happened, "So, they were calling themselves the Black Diamonds and they were looking for you," Izaya ran a hand through his hair with annoyance, "Never heard of them, must be some rodents trying to make a name for themselves," He suggested. "I wish that were the case, Izaya. They stalked me without me noticing, broke into my house and successfully kidnapped me. They know more than they're letting on." Izaya's face twisted into one of amusement, "What makes you so special all of a sudden?" He inquired. Kyoko cracked a smile and held her index finger to her lips, "The less you know, the better." She teased. 

Shinra walked back into the room, having sensed the tension from before. He handed Kyoko a small slip of paper with some care instructions and gave her a quick hug before leading the odd pair out of his apartment in silence. 

Kyoko and Izaya remained silent with one another until he dropped her off at home, to which he grabbed her wrist as she tried to get out. "I had your place cleaned and I have extra security posted just in case. Call me if anything else happens." He stated sternly, leaving Kyoko no choice but to just accept his overbearing self and let him 'help' as he sees fit for now. She nodded and exited the car, making the climb to her apartment at an agonizingly slow pace. When she reached her door, she was shocked to see Shizuo standing there with some flowers.

"When you didn't show up, I waited until this feeling told me something wasn't right. I came by to check on you and saw what looked like a break in... and some people cleaning it up. I didn't know what else to do, so I waited..." He awkwardly fell over his words, a small blush adorning his cheeks. "That's so sweet of you, Shizuo. Thank you." She walked over to him and hugged him tightly, not caring about the 'deal' with Izaya or anything else for that matter. He hugged her back, his grip tightening significantly when he noticed what she was wearing. Kyoko hardly noticed, assuming he was trying to hug her back just as reassuringly. He brushed it off, not wanting to pry in her business and hoping it was just a misunderstanding. He caught himself, wondering why he felt so possessive over Kyoko all of a sudden. They both pulled away, looking at one another briefly before she looked at her door, trying to think of something to say. "Would you like to come in to talk for a little while? I can treat you to some ice cream and tea for your trouble." She smiled warmly up at him, "I would love that, thank you."

Kyoko unlocked her door with the new key Izaya had made and let him in. The place was basically back to the way it was before, except it looked like Izaya added his own touches here and there. She didn't think too much on it and led him to the living room. "Take a seat and allow me to freshen up, and I'll explain some more about what happened today, okay?" She walked towards her bedroom door and waited for him to answer before fully shutting the door behind her when he said "Okay, take your time,"

Once in the comforts of her room, she let out a huge sigh and walked into her closet to remove the dirty clothes from her body and place them in the hamper. She quickly went into her shower and washed off as quickly, yet thoroughly as she could before coming out and throwing on the biggest pair of sweat pants she owned and a tank top. When she came back out, she was towel drying her hair and Shizuo was patiently sitting on her couch, scrolling through what looked like the Dollars forum but she couldn't tell. She walked over and took the flowers, "I'm sorry I kept you, let me put these in some water."

She went into the kitchen and got a vase, filled it, cut the stems of the flowers and placed them in it. When she came back out, she removed the towel from her hair and let her long caramel brown hair cascade down her back before taking a seat beside Shizuo.

"Okay, so I was getting ready for our meeting and..."

As she told her story to the blonde bartender, she watched carefully as his shoulders and jaw would tense up, or how he would clench his fists at the mention of Izaya. His face softened when she showed him her wound. Eventually, it hit her. The severity of the event hit her full force, cracking the stone exterior she had around herself. Shizuo's arms were acting on their own when he pulled her close, practically scooping her up to cradle her against his firm chest as tears slid down her cheeks. He enjoyed the feeling, his own hard demeanor cracking at the sight of this fragile young woman. He smoothed down her hair as he held her, listening to her soft whimpers and sniffles. Shizuo couldn't place the feeling at first, but he liked feeling so relaxed compared to feeling indestructible, destructive, and scary to those around him. To hold her like this, without a second thought about hugging too hard or breaking a bone somehow soothed his very soul. He _wasn't_ a monster.

Before they knew it, the day weighed down on their eyelids and they both fell asleep locked in one another's embrace.

A.N: Sorry if there are any errors, I haven't fully finished editing.   
COMMENT, LIKE, and SHARE WITH YOUR PRIESTS. 


	7. Crossfire

This Chapter can be a bit filler-ish but I felt it was needed. I promise there is a redeeming bit in there ;)  
I think you'll know when the song should be played. 

<https://youtu.be/vgLq5DvcWQI>

* * *

Upon waking up and feeling the relief of sleep fade away, Kyoko hadn't fully noticed or processed the fact that Shizuo had slept over, and was cuddled up with her on the couch nonetheless. Her breath hitched in her throat when she turned and came nose to nose with his angelic sleeping face. His breath fanned over her lips, cementing the reality in. Shizuo stirred a little, hugging Kyoko's body closer to his own. The brunette was shell shocked; unsure of what to do, she tried to wiggle her way out. His grip was like iron and there was no escape for the petite woman. She decided to enjoy the moment instead and opted for trying to go back to sleep, remaining curled up with the man she adored. Despite her plan, she couldn't help but admire him a bit more as he slept. This may be the only time this ever happens and she should take advantage of it. 

In the midst of her staring, he started to stir a bit more and he began mumbling in his sleep. Kyoko's eyes snapped shut, unsure if he was now awake. When he remained still and relaxed, she knew he must have been talking in his sleep. Shizuo was somewhat awake, but refused to give in and tried to slip back into the darkness beckoning him to welcome the sleep once more. Her eyes reopened, her body now acting on its own as she craned her neck and slowly leaned in to place a small kiss upon his own lips. This was definitely new to the debt-collector and he knew now that he must be dreaming. His lips began to move, trying to deepen the kiss he was sure was part of a wonderful dream, until he heard a small muffled gasp and the pressure of another body pressed against him and beneath his hands. Despite that, they both kept kissing one another, eventually resulting in Shizuo atop the woman with her arms wound around his neck in an effort to keep him there. Shizuo's arm held him up enough to keep himself from smushing her, while the other gripped her waist. His thumb rubbed circles into her hip before trailing down her thigh and behind her knee. He pulled her closer, his mind lost in the moment, every logical thought shoved to the back of his brain. The sound of a soft whimper yanked him from his bliss, making all the thoughts he shoved away come crashing down and dampening his euphoric high. He instantly sat up, looking down at the bashful mess of a woman beneath him. Her hair was sprawled out all around her head like a caramel crown, her lips swollen and red, her chest rising and falling with each hasty breath. To his surprise, she didn't look upset or hurt, rather, disappointed about his absence. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry I got carried away, I should have stopped myself. Kyoko, I-" The woman pulled herself up onto her elbows, then situated herself to his height and hugged him tightly. "Don't you dare apologize. You could never hurt me, Shizuo." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes, still as red as before. "I enjoyed that," She pulled away and climbed off the couch, "I think that was a wonderful way to start working on your self-control. Don't you?" She teased, looking back at him as she made her way to the kitchen to start making coffee. Although that wasn't her intention with the kiss, she felt she needed to quickly diffuse the tension and awkwardness to come before it set in and ruined the relationship she was working hard to keep. Once alone in the kitchen, she began doing a little dance as her heart soared from the previous scene in her living room. 

When he was alone with his thoughts, he gathered them and tried to make sense of all the new information. She was right though; he felt in control of himself and wasn't thinking of how strong he was or if he was hurting her until something else happened. He couldn't help the smile that crept up onto his face at the thought of being in control of himself at a time like that when he feared he wouldn't. He had spent so much of his time worrying about being normal, wondering if he could ever have someone in his life that he wouldn't hurt, at a time like that. His face flushed a light pink at the thought but he quickly shoved it aside and tried to straighten himself out before she came back. When she did, she was equipped with two cups of coffee in hand and sat down on the couch beside him. As she raised the cup to her lips, her doorbell rang and an all too familiar voice chimed from the intercom. "Kyoko! Open up!" Yumi's voice echoed out in the apartment and Kyoko turned to Shizuo apologetically. "I'll be right back," She set her mug down and walked to the hallway and let her best friend inside. "What's up, Yumi?" Yumi stepped inside and set her bag down and removed her shoes, grabbing and putting on a pair of slippers. "I've been calling you, you haven't been answering me! I was worried," Yumi walked into the living room, still ranting until her eyes fell on Shizuo, who was awkwardly seated on the couch. 

"Oh, I see." She turned to Kyoko with a devious smile, "Calm down Yumi, my phone got smashed yesterday and I haven't been to the store to replace it. Shizuo was worried too and Stopped by to check up on me." She replied smoothly. Yumi looked between her and Shizuo before sighing and plopping down on the couch beside Shizuo. "Anyway, I came by to check on you. Since you're okay, I wanted to also ask if you wanted to go to the spa with me? You're also invited, Shizuo. You look like you could use some R&R" She smiled, hoping he would say yes. Kyoko let out a small laugh, "I would love to, where do you have in mind?" 

Yumi clapped her hands together happily, looking to Shizuo for an answer. "I guess I can come with, but won't it be weird with just me?" He asked, his cheeks threatening to flood with color. "I guess it would be uncomfortable for such a handsome young man to be accompanied by two beautiful women at a hot spring spa. I'll invite another guy, just let me step out and make a few calls."

Yumi knew this probably wasn't her smartest move, but she wanted to see an old friend and catch up with him. She stepped out a pressed the call button, then heard his silky voice respond on the other end. "Hey, I wanted to know if you'd like to meet up and go to the hot springs with Kyoko and me?" They chuckled on the other end and chatted for a moment before hanging up. Yumi smiled to herself and went back inside. "Alright, I've got someone meeting us there. Let's get going before it's too late." Kyoko was already in her room getting ready, Shizuo sipped his coffee and looked around, occasionally making small talk with Yumi as they waited. A few minutes later she reemerged from her room wearing a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt and a bag over her shoulder. "I'm ready, do you need to stop at home for some stuff, Shizuo?" She asked, turning her gaze to him. 

He looked up from his ever so interesting coffee mug and set it down as he stood, "Yeah, I can be quick. It's not far from here." He took a step forward, looking between the two. "I can run home and meet you guys at the train station in about 10?" Yumi and Kyoko both nodded, "Yumi and I can stop at the convenience store and get some treats for everyone. Let's go!" She exclaimed. 

They all left Kyoko's apartment and Shizuo took off down the street towards his house. "So, spill the tea, what's going on? Are you two a thing now?" Yumi asked as they walked towards the store. Kyoko laughed and held the door open for Yumi, "No, I already told you he came to check up on me. We were supposed to hang out and when I wasn't answering, he stopped by to see what was up." They walked around the store, looking at all the different snacks. "Yeah, but what happened to your phone? Why would he be so worried unless you two had something going on? I mean, you hardly talked throughout high school," she added, picking up a drink and looking it over. "Yeah, but recently we've been running into each other and we make small talk, it's nothing really." Kyoko grabbed a bottle of strawberry milk and wondered what Shizuo would like. She grabbed two, remembering he said something about having a sweet tooth once. They both walked around the store, grabbing snacks at random, "Kyoko Akiba, you are not telling me everything and I am your best friend, you're breaking best friend codes here!" She laughed half-heartedly. "I'll tell you later okay? Let's not spoil a good day with all of my drama. We'll have a sleepover next weekend and I'll tell you literally everything, okay?" Kyoko glanced at her watch, "We should get to the station soon," Yumi cast her a glance, which basically meant, 'you better, or else,' and Kyoko smiled at her. They bought the snacks and hurriedly made their way to the train station just as Shizuo was walking up. 

Once all on the train, they sat down together. "So, who did you invite, Yumi?" Kyoko asked, trying to get comfortable in her seat. "It's a surprise!" She smiled, putting her bag in her lap. 

The ride wasn't long, but it wasn't a quick one either. By the time they got to the hot spring spa, they were all ready for a long soak in the steamy water to relax their stiff muscles. Upon checking in and getting situated in a room, both Shizuo and Kyoko were extremely curious as to whether or not their mystery guest was actually coming. "Yumi, where is our other guest? I'm dying to know who you brought along!" As if on queue there was a knock on the door and Yumi got all giddy. "I got it!" She yelled, running for the door. 

As the door swung open, Kyoko's heart dropped and Shizuo smiled. "Kyohei!" Yumi ran up to him and hugged him, he smiled back at everyone in the room and walked inside to greet them individually. He went for a hug when he reached Kyoko, and she hesitantly reciprocated his greeting with a forced smile. He pulled away and went to talk to Shizuo while Yumi pulled Kyoko into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them. "I thought you were over all this, Kyoko?" Yumi asked softly, pulling Kyoko back to reality. "I am, I'm sorry. It's just weird, you know? I'm really not trying to make it weird, I was just shocked." She stumbled over her words, looking into her best friend's eyes. "I get it, I shouldn't have kept it a secret, but I was worried you wouldn't come. I totally understand the shock and I'm sorry too." Kyoko shook her head, "No worries, let's get changed." The two changed into their swimwear and stepped out of the bathroom, wrapping robes around themselves in the process. Yumi tried bot to ask questions when she saw the bandage around Kyoko's thigh "You guys get changed and we'll meet you down there, okay?" Yumi said, walking towards the door with Kyoko in tow. The guys nodded and Kyoko and Yumi left the room. 

Once everyone was in the spring, they all let the hot water soothe their very souls. They made conversation here and there but mostly enjoyed the spring in silence. Kyoko sat between Yumi and Shizuo, with Kyohei on the other side of Yumi. Yumi spent the time filling Kyohei in on the past few months and Shizuo kept trying to read Kyoko. He didn't understand her and this morning's events kept creeping back into his mind, making things even more confusing. He glanced over at her, watching as a bead of sweat slid down her temple, to her neck and down to her exposed chest. He gulped and looked away, only to sneak another quick glance to make sure he hadn't been caught staring. 

"Kyoko?" Shizuo asked, watching as she opened her eyes and sat up a little more to at least look in his direction. "Yes?" she smiled. "Can I talk to you for a second, someplace else?" She sat up fully and nodded, "Sure. Let me grab my robe and you lead the way." They both stood from the spring and got out completely unnoticed by the other two.   
  
He led Kyoko out into a secluded hallway and pulled her aside, "I really don't know how to go about explaining any of this, so I'm just going to say it." He looked at Kyoko for reassurance before continuing, his heart was racing and the fear and anxiety of the situation was starting to eat at him from the inside out, "That party Shinra threw in high school, where they played seven minutes in heaven..." he bit his lip nervously, mentally convincing himself to keep going, "I saw you go in and I tried to make my way up there to be the one to join you inside... I wanted to confess my feelings to you" he rushed the last sentence out, worrying he'd chicken out at the last second. He looked Kyoko over, trying to read her but to no avail. "Shizuo, I had no idea," her face bloomed a brilliant red, for once she was speechless. This worried Shizuo, making him panic internally. "I must admit, I had a crush on you back then too," she looked down at the floor, fiddling with the fabric of the robe. Shizuo's mouth fell agape, but he quickly recovered and rubbed the back of his head nervously. Their eyes finally met, their faces betraying them both. Izaya's voice rang out in her head, annoying her. "Do you want to sit and talk some more? We can head back to the spring and enjoy it a little more," she suggested. Shizuo nodded and they went back to the spring, the other pair still locked in conversation.

When Kyoko stepped back in, Shizuo followed and sat beside her. The pair talked for what seemed like hours, the air around them seemed to change into one of familiarity. The shy personas went as they talked about practically anything. Yumi was the one to break their hypnotic trance and told them how late it was. Kyoko and Yumi had classes the following morning, so when they all got off the train, Shizuo walked Kyoko home and Kyohei walked Yumi home. This time, their walk was a comfortable silence. Upon reaching her apartment, Shizuo faced her and leaned down to peck her cheek. "Goodnight, Kyoko. I had a great time today," Kyoko blushed, "Goodnight, Shizuo. I did as well. Get home safely." She walked into her apartment and removed her shoes, her heart on cloud nine. When she set her things down and walked into her bedroom she felt the presence of someone. She remained calm and pretended not to notice as she walked into her bathroom to turn on the bath. She walked back into her bedroom and tried to see where they were in the dimly lit room without letting on. She stood near her closet and started removing her clothes, showing she was "vulnerable " it was then she figured out where the person was.

The moment they reached for her, she spun around and knocked the blade from their hand, flipping them over her shoulder in an instant and straddled them to the floor with their own blade to their throat.

"Izaya?"

Said man looked a little too pleased with the situation and simply smiled up at her. She released him and he flipped their positions, pinning her with his blade to her throat. "Since when are you capable of hand to hand combat?" He asked, still straddling her.

Kyoko sighed and quickly disarmed him, flipping the blade shut. "Since my father became part of the Yakuza." She replied nonchalantly. Izaya remained still, looking to see if she was lying. "Are you going to get off of me?" She asked. Izaya cocked an eyebrow, to which Kyoko once again flipped their positions and stood up from the floor. She offered him a hand but he refused and stood up on his own. Kyoko remembered the bath and quickly went into the bathroom to shut the water off. "Why are you here?" She asked, pulling a robe over herself. "I wanted to check up on you, and I saw you with Shizuo." His voice turned her stomach, sending chills throughout her body.

"Yumi planned a get-together and I had no idea who was coming," she lied. "What was I supposed to do? Not go? As if. I needed a mini-vacation from your nonsense." She added with a small laugh, hoping he'd buy it.

He was becoming a bit easier to read, but she couldn't predict how he'd react. He sighed and rubbed his temples, "You're such a handful. Nonetheless, I need to remind you of who you work for." He smirked devilishly, "you can expect a punishment of sorts when you come in tomorrow. Have a good evening, Ms. Akiba."

He walked out of the room and the sound of her front door shutting and locking echoed in the otherwise empty apartment. Kyoko sighed, not sure what to expect. 

The next morning her classes were canceled so she went straight to Izaya's with all of her school work and supplies handy in case she got bored. When she arrived, Izaya seemed to be home, his fur jacket thrown on the couch, but he was nowhere to be seen. Kyoko tossed her things down on the couch and walked over to a stack of files on Izaya's desk and sat down in his chair. She flipped through a few, skimming through the information. Nothing particular caught her attention, so she closed them and spun in his chair, Izaya himself catching her by surprise when she turned in the chair. "Why are you here so early, don't you have classes?" He asked, looking down at her. "They were canceled, so I came here." She replied casually. She couldn't help but stare for a moment; he was shirtless and a towel was hanging loosely around his neck. Izaya noticed her staring and smirked, "Have you no shame?" He teased, making her blush and look away.   
Izaya watched as she sat in his chair blushing, trying to compose herself. Kyoko mentally cursed herself, recalling her and Shizuo's conversation the evening prior. She felt a pang of guilt, looking back at Izaya, she recalled her previous plans and the reason she was doing this. It still felt wrong, but she also knew she felt attracted to Izaya, oddly enough. She sighed, turning once more to face the large window. She stood in front of it now, placing her hand on the glass, her thoughts traveling to Shizuo and what he may be doing.

Izaya didn't like the frown on her face, wondering what could be troubling her so much. He walked up behind her and took her waist in his hands, pulling her back to his chest. "Wh-what are you doing?" She was monetarily surprised when he craned down to wrap his lips around a section of her neck. "I told you I'd punish you, didn't I?" He asked, pulling his mouth away. Kyoko's face reached a million degrees easily, nowhere near prepared for this kind of behavior initiated by him. She quickly composed herself and relaxed, waiting to see what he would do next. His jealousy was besting him, the thought that Shizuo was so close to her, he felt territorial. 

He spun her around and pushed her up against the giant glass window, looking deeply into her eyes. Kyoko felt somewhat exposed to him in this instance, her adrenaline pumping. Her head was spinning with every thought and emotion, the ever so shy submissive side of her caving just a smidge as Izaya loomed over her. She tried to remember her plan, she tried to focus, but her heart was pounding in her ears, her thoughts all scrambled and her body responding without her brain. Izaya could see the conflict in her eyes, he could tell he was pushing some kind of boundary and he loved it. He felt he was getting closer to figuring out how to break the woman before him. His hands trailed her body, his eyes locked onto hers in case there was any change in emotion. Her body would tense in certain areas; he traveled back up, his fingers gently gripping her jaw. "I can see the turmoil seeping out of you, Kyoko. Whatever is the matter?" He mocked her, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Kyoko was fighting to keep her willpower intact, but all it took was Izaya's sweet lips brushing against hers and she was eating out of the palm of his hand. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his, her arms circling his neck instantly. 

The sound of thunder clapped through the sky as Izaya spun them around once more, pushing Kyoko up against his desk, her legs wrapping around his waist. Kyoko whimpered against his lips as he ripped her arms from his neck, instantaneously tearing her blouse open, the buttons flying all over the room. Their foreheads met as they stared into one another's eyes, both panting softly. Izaya's eyes swallowed the scene before him, the way her chest rose and fell with each ragged breath. She went to lean back in, but Izaya placed his finger to her lips with an evil grin. He pulled his switchblade from his pocket and flipped it open, slowly sliding it up Kyoko's thigh and under the hem of her pencil skirt. At an agonizingly slow pace, he cut through the fabric and watched as Kyoko squirmed before him. He could almost laugh right in her face, but he held back and continued to bask in her lack of self-control. Thunder clapped again and lightning illuminated the now dark sky, making Kyoko jump a little. 

Growing frustrated, she groaned and yanked the knife up the rest of her skirt before her senses would come crashing down on her. Izaya chuckled and pinned her to the desk harshly, stealing the very breath from her lungs. Kyoko looked up at him, the little lamb before now gone as the lioness scratched at the surface. She went to fight back, but Izaya pulled away entirely and shut the blade and set it back in his pocket before plopping down in his chair, yanking Kyoko into his lap by the back of her knees before she could move a muscle. 

Startled, she grabbed hold of his shoulders, looking down into his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when the doorbell rang. Izaya rolled his eyes and picked Kyoko up, walking her upstairs to a bedroom. "Stay here," He demanded. Kyoko sat on the bed, baffled. With a huff of frustration, she got up and rummaged through the closet, soon realizing she was in Izaya's room. She found one of his long-sleeved shirts and pulled it on over her head, then stealthily left the room to peek over the railing to see who was here. She saw her father sitting in the living room and just about fainted. 

She wanted to hear what they were talking about, but they spoke softly to one another as if Izaya knew she would try and eavesdrop. On queue with her thoughts, Izaya turned to glance towards the loft. Kyoko quickly hid behind an armchair and crawled back into the room and quietly shut the door. She plopped down on the bed and held onto a pillow, wondering why her father was all of a sudden involved with Izaya. She could only think of one reason, and that was that Izaya was meddling and she needed to find out why. 

A/N: I hope you enjoyed more of Kyoko's shenanigans! I know it's a bit crazy right now, but that's the point. Little bit of a cliffhanger, I know. But I had to! Anywho~ What do you think Izaya is up to? And what's with Kyohei and Kyoko?! Let me know down in the comments! Also, I have not gone in and edited yet, so if you see any errors, feel free to let me know. 


	8. What Goes Around, Comes Around

Kyoko laid on her belly on Izaya's bed reading a book she found, waiting patiently for what seemed like hours. Eventually, she heard the front door open and shut and it went silent. She paid no mind, already immersed in the book before her. Her legs were up in the air, swaying side to side. 

After Izaya shut the door and locked it, he quietly made his way up the stairs and back to his bedroom, he slowly opened the door, hoping Kyoko wouldn't chuck something at his head. Instead, he was surprised to see her laying in his enormous bed, which seemed to swallow her tiny figure up. He walked into the room fully and reached for Kyoko, and in an instant she had flipped over and yanked him onto the bed, pinning him to it. "You're not as sneaky as you think, Izaya." She laughed and released his wrists when she took a good look at his stoic face. "The more you pretend you're nothing like a human, the more human you seem," She said, getting off of him completely and sliding off of the bed. Izaya sat up and glared at her, pausing to take in her appearance. "Are you wearing my shirt?" he asked. Having struck a nerve, Kyoko casually made her way to the door, preparing to completely run out of there. As soon as Izaya caught on, he lunged for her. 

Kyoko swung the door open and went straight for the railing, hopping over it without a second thought. She hit the ground pretty hard but landed on her feet in a crouch nonetheless. She darted towards the large couch and hopped over that, just as Izaya caught up she whipped around and instinctively went to punch him in the face. He narrowly missed her flying fist and grabbed her arm, flipping her over the couch and landing above her. "You're quick, I'll give you that, but you're not keeping my shirt." He stated firmly. Kyoko kneed him where the sun doesn't shine and shoved him off, rolling off the couch in the process. When he sat up, Kyoko was on the other side of his coffee table, pulling the hem of the shirt up just a little. "You want me to take it off?" She said softly, feigning a pout. Izaya froze, his fingers digging into the couch. She lifted the shirt a little higher, revealing her lacey black panties. She was mentally cheering as she looked at the turmoil in _**his**_ eyes. She bit her bottom lip and dropped the hem of the shirt, covering herself back up. Without hesitation, she slid her arms into the shirt and removed her matching lace black bra. _"Now I have you eating out of the palm of_ _ **my**_ _hand!"_ she thought triumphantly. She tossed the bra in his direction and it landed right next to him. "Are you sure you want your shirt back? What am I supposed to do when you've torn my clothes from my body?" She teased, watching as he clenched his jaw.

"Kyoko-" he paused, watching as she quickly snatched up his fur jacket and pulled it onto her body. He didn't even notice her remove the shirt from underneath until it landed in his lap. "Hmm, that feels much better." He looked back up at her as she slowly pulled the zipper of the jacket dangerously low, revealing a sliver of her chest. Completely unprepared, Izaya sat there momentarily as his humanity lay in the open for Kyoko, proving her right. This made him angry, he was nothing like these pesky humans. He tried to convince himself, but every time he looked at Kyoko it seemed to wash away like footprints in the sand. He averted his gaze, his senses coming back to him. "You need to leave." He stated coldly. "Seriously?" She asked, taking a seat in one of the armchairs and dangling her legs over the armrest. "How do you suppose I get home when you tore my clothes up?" She asked, still keeping up the act. Izaya looked over at her, his jaw so tight he could crush bone. "I don't care how you get home, it's not my problem." He growled. Kyoko scoffed, "It's not my fault you ripped them," She marched over to him and shoved past him to snatch up her bra, making her way back upstairs and into his bedroom. She angrily flung open his closet once more and looked through all of his clothes. Finally, coming across a pair of cinched sweatpants, she pulled them on and put her bra back on, pulling yet another one of his long sleeve shirts back on and walked out of the closet, leaving it a disaster zone. She walked back downstairs and grabbed her things, all while Izaya stared at the floor. Upon reaching the door she turned to him, "You're more of a monster than a human, I didn't mean to flatter your ego before." She spat, slamming the door behind her. Izaya finally looked up after she left, sighing and looking around the penthouse. Everywhere he looked, he saw her. On his desk, he could envision her pinned as the events from before played back in his mind. Towards the kitchen, he saw her standing there. His eyes darted to the spot she stood only minutes before, her seductive figure flashed in his mind. He groaned and angrily stood, flipping the coffee table in the process. "Goddammit!" He yelled, storming out of the penthouse.

Kyoko had decided to walk home to clear her head. It would be far, but she would manage. It was about mid-day by now and the rain had stopped, so the dewy, earthy smell lingered all around the city. She loved that smell, and the cooler air was refreshing. During her walk, she concluded that Izaya might be catching on and she needed to make her move soon; before all her biggest fears were a reality. She also mentally cursed herself for allowing herself to get wrapped up in her own game, almost believing that Izaya could be interested in her. She rolled her eyes at the thought, wondering how she could be so naive. As she got closer to home, she could feel her legs just begging to stop. She stopped at the nearby convenience store and got herself something to eat, not feeling up to cooking. She also found herself binging and throwing all kinds of junk food into her basket until it was full. She sighed and went to check out, trying to convince herself that he wasn't even worth her anger. He was probably off somewhere screwing with another person's life. 

Upon walking into her apartment, Momo came up and greeted her, rubbing up against her legs and meowing. Kyoko smiled and set all of her things down before walking into her bedroom and plopping down on her bed with her haul of snacks. Momo joined her as she turned on her massive TV and flipped through the channels. Her frustration died down a lot as Momo cuddled up with her and she munched on junk food. After a while, she received a text message from Shizuo. 

_"Hey, how are you?"_

She smiled upon reading it, her heart fluttering momentarily, _"I'm doing great now that you're talking to me. I've had a rough morning. What about you?"_ She replied with a goofy smile. A few minutes later her phone dinged and she nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement. 

_"I can say the same thing, what ruined your morning?"_

Kyoko quickly typed her response, _"A certain troll from Shinjuku, and you?"_

Shizuo responded quickly after receiving the text, _"I figured as much. I just had some kids try and start a huge fight this morning. It wasn't fun"_

Before she could type her reply, another text came in from him. _"Speaking of, I'll talk to you later, he just showed up..."_

Kyoko sighed and didn't reply. She tossed her phone down and yawned, feeling tired. She got up and gathered her snacks and brought them to the kitchen to put them away. When she walked back to her bedroom she climbed back into bed and cuddled with Momo before her eyes became heavy and they slowly shut, welcoming sleep.

========================

When she woke up, the room was dark and her eyes took a moment to adjust. She rubbed her eyes and swiped her hand around the bed to find her phone. When she did, the light made her squint until the time appeared before her eyes. It was around 6 pm and she had a missed call from Shizuo just a few minutes ago. She sat up and dialed his number, "Hey Shizuo, what's up?" Her voice was raspy from sleep.

"I need your help, Kyoko. I'm outside." He didn't sound like himself and she bolted up when he said he was outside. She tossed her phone down and ran to her front door, ripping it open. Shizuo sat slumped on the floor, beaten and bloody. Kyoko quickly helped him inside and to an area where she could see his wounds. "What happened? " she rushed to her kitchen to get her first aid kit and ran back to Shizuo. "I got into it with Izaya, he was serious today. He looks as bad as I do, to say the least." He struggled to sit up and Kyoko removed what was left of his shirt and started tending to every little cut and bruise. After Kyoko finished up and helped him to the couch she put the kit away and came back to him with some tea. "How are you feeling? Do you want any pain medication?" a look of concern sketched into her face. Shizuo took a sip of the tea and set it down, "No, I'm not in any pain. Thank you though,"

Kyoko sipped her tea as well, knowing full well why Izaya was in such a mood and she frowned. "Shizuo, I have to tell you something..." She trailed off, looking him in the eyes. "Hmm?" He picked up his cup and sipped his drink, feeling it calm his nerves. She desperately wanted to tell him everything that's been going on with Izaya, her dad, her job. The lump in her throat grew larger as she stared at him longer. "I-" She paused, wondering if telling him would ruin their relationship. Shizuo's honey-colored eyes gleamed back at her with anticipation. "I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to me and it hurts me to see you all beaten and bloody." She caved and decided to let herself be selfish. She just started this beautiful relationship and she didn't want to lose him. Her cheeks grew warm at her thoughts, Shizuo's flooding with pigment as well. 

"Kyoko, can I ask you something?" his face still warm from embarrassment. She nodded, desperate to change the topic. "May I kiss you?" He looked between her eyes and his cup before placing the mug down on the coffee table, anxiously awaiting her answer. 

She placed her mug down beside his and scooted closer to him, silently answering him. 

Shizuo slowly reached up and cupped her face in his hands, gently stroking her cheek before leaning down and placing his lips upon hers. 

The kiss was slow and sweet, both individuals savoring each little peck and indulging in the bliss of the moment. Kyoko's arms found a way around Shizuo, pulling him to her body in a tight embrace, their lips never parting. 

All of her troubles seemed to melt away as he fondly embraced her in return. When her fingers found a way into Shizuo's hair, he moaned, shocking them both. 

When they pulled apart for air they rested their foreheads against one another and stared into each other's eyes. Kyoko leaned back in and trailed kisses from his neck to his jaw, her hand trailing up and down his chest as she fumbled to unbutton his vest and shirt. She continued to kiss from his jaw to his lips before caressing his chest. She could feel his chest rumble as he groaned and she smiled into their kiss. 

Shizuo pulled Kyoko into his lap, her legs on either side of his hips as she straddled him. The pair continued to make out passionately on her couch, each of them testing the boundaries with themselves. 

When Kyoko could feel a sudden bulge poking her thigh, she slowly pulled back and looked the man in the eyes. "D-Do you want to stop?" She asked hesitantly. They both softly panted in the silence as Shizuo seemed to be having an internal debate. 

"We can stop if you want," She reassured him. He gently shifted them into a different position before standing up and carrying her to her bedroom. 

Once inside, he placed Kyoko on the bed and slowly started removing his clothes. Kyoko's face resembled a tomato, but she started to follow his lead. She sat on her knees and started disrobing before him, never breaking eye contact with him. 

This seemed to quell both of their anxiety and nervousness, the subtlety of the action only intensified the intimacy between them both. When they were both down to their undergarments, Kyoko shimmied to the end of the bed and took Shizuo's hand, pulling him to the bed. She slowly hooked her fingers into the waistband of his briefs and began to pull them down. Her shaky hands trailed back up to his chest and she leaned over to place kisses on his chest and abdomen. Shizuo shivered and softly moaned. "Kyoko..." His voice echoed out softly in the room, pulling her eyes to his as she sat up straight. 

Shizuo smiled at her and placed his knee on the bed, gently pushing her back to lay on the bed. He crawled up the length of her body, his girth caressing her thigh when he loomed over her fully. He pulled the straps of her bra down to her elbows and reached behind her to quickly unhook it in the back. He tossed it to the side somewhere as he used both hands to slide her panties down her soft legs. He sat up, admiring the goddess before him. 

Kyoko blushed, refusing the urge to cover her body as he eyed her up and down. 

"Kyoko, you are absolutely stunning," He spoke tenderly, leaning back down to trail kisses up her body to her breasts and finally reaching her lips once again. 

As their lips danced with urgency, Shizuo slid his free hand down her smooth body and stopped at her womanhood. His two fingers slowly started stroking her, making her moan out loudly in surprise and pleasure. Her fingers locked in Shizuo's hair as he pulled back to start kissing her neck and collarbones. Kyoko's hips started rocking back and forth, silently begging him for more. He softly nipped at her neck, tempted to start sucking at the tender flesh. 

"Shizuo" She moaned greedily as he obliged. As soon as he heard his name roll off her tongue so seductively, something within him flipped like a switch. His fingers became a little more urgent and Kyoko's moans became louder. He pulled his hand away and positioned himself in-between her legs, looking into her eyes for reassurance before he continued. When she nodded, he slowly started sliding himself inside her, making sure to watch her expression as he did. 

Her face twisted into an expression of pain but as quickly as it came, it was gone and replaced with one of pleasure. He was patient as he slid all the way in, making sure not to hurt Kyoko. When he was fully sheathed inside her, he started to move his hips back and forth at a slow and steady pace. The tight heat embraced his every movement, making him want to release right then and there. He looked down at Kyoko and their eyes met, making him even more aroused. When he started to move faster, her eyes rolled back and shut, "Ah- Sh-Shizuo," She moaned melodically. He increased his speed more, leaning down to continue his earlier attack on her neck. He grunted with each thrust, trying to contain himself as long as possible.

Kyoko arched her back when he thrust into her even faster, her body overcome with pleasure. "Kyoko, y-yo-you feel so good," He moaned into her ear, causing a shiver to ripple down her spine. Her nails dug into his back, "H-Harder, Shizuo," She moaned out in between each pant for breath. 

The blonde happily indulged her and the loud slap of skin against skin echoed out in the room, quickly getting lost in the sounds of the pair moaning and calling out one another's name. 

Growing tired, Shizuo quickly pulled Kyoko up with him and into his lap as he sat up and Kyoko pushed him onto his back before she started riding him. It was his turn to throw his head back in bliss with the rise and fall of her hips. His erection ached with each move she made, he gripped her waist as she bounced up and down on his girth. He was hitting much deeper in this position and Kyoko was dripping wet, her breath continuously getting caught in her throat as she moaned out loud. His name rolling off her tongue when he'd raise his hips and go even deeper. She began to tighten even more around him, making him curse out loud. He reached around and gripped onto her rear, thrusting into her even more as she bounced up and down. His erection throbbed and Kyoko could feel her climax coming.

"Shi-Shiz-Shizuo, I'm c-cumming!" She called out, bracing her hands on his chest. She squeezed down on him, making him throw his head back and release inside her, climaxing along with her. 

Kyoko pulled herself off of him and collapsed beside him on the bed. Both panting and trying to regain composure, their bodies glistening in the moonlit room. Kyoko sat up and quickly left the room. Shizuo hardly noticed, his head was spinning and his ears were ringing. She returned a moment later with a large glass of water. She took a gulp and handed it to Shizuo. 

He slowly sat up and took a gulp himself before setting it down on the bedside table. "I'm going to wash off in the shower, do you want to join me?" She asked him timidly. Shizuo nodded and followed her into her bathroom. 

She turned it on and waited for the water to warm up before stepping in and letting the hot water run down her body. Shizuo couldn't help but stare at her glorious body in the light. He felt his still throbbing manhood twitch at the thought as he stepped in with her. He leaned down to her ear and placed his hands on her waist, softly nibbling on it as the water now ran down his body. "You truly are breathtaking, Kyoko," He softly whispered. 

Kyoko shivered and turned to face him, "You keep talking to me like that and I'll want to keep you here," She teased, reaching for her loofa and applying soap to it. They switched positions so Shizuo could stand under the water and Kyoko lathered her body in soap. "Is that really a bad thing?" He asked after a moment of silence. 

Kyoko laughed and blew soap bubbles at him, switching with him once again to rinse off. Shizuo lathered up the soap in his hands before washing himself off. Once Kyoko rinsed off, she wrapped her arms around Shizuo's waist from behind and felt his abdomen up while he rinsed off in the water. Shizuo could feel excitement flowing through his body at her touch. He turned with her arms still around him and bent down to scoop her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. He pushed her back against the shower wall and kissed her passionately, loving the feeling of her naked body against his. 

When they pulled away for air, he set Kyoko down and looking into her eyes before he kissed the top of her head. 

They both got out after turning the water off and dried off, Kyoko pulling on her robe shortly after. Shizuo wrapped the towel around his waist and walked back into her bedroom, shoving his hair back with his hand. 

Kyoko yawned and walked into the closet, pulling on her baby pink silk pajama shorts and matching tank top. Shizuo gulped when he saw what she was wearing, then began looking for his clothes. 

"I took them and put them in the washer, I have some sweatpants that might fit you." She said sheepishly. Shizuo cocked a brow, "Why would you have sweatpants that large?" He looked down his body, and up Kyoko's, making her laugh. 

"Well for one, I love oversized clothes and two, I borrowed them from my brother once. He's your height and about your build." She retorted, eyeing him up and down with a small smirk on her face. 

She dug around in the closet and pulled them out, walking over and handing them to him. He said thank you and finished drying off before slipping them on.

Kyoko plopped back down in the bed and got under the covers, patting the spot beside her. Shizuo walked over and crawled into the bed with her.

They both laid down and stared up at the ceiling. "Kyoko?" He turned to look at her, smiling when she faced him.

"Yes?"

Shizuo bit his lip and took a deep breath, "Tonight was absolutely amazing," he smiled, a blush creeping up to his face.

Kyoko mirrored him, trying to find the right words to say. "I'd have to agree with you," she smiled and pulled the sheets over her head.

Shizuo chuckled and started tickiling her and Momo came running to her defense. She nipped at Shizuo's hand, then licked it when he stopped. Kyoko calmed her laughter and settled down in the sheets. Her eyelids slowly becoming heavier and heavier before the darkness enveloped her.

Shizuo noticed she fell asleep moments later when Momo ran off, he too settled into the bed and began dozing off.

The following morning, Kyoko bolted up after stirring from her sleep, suddenly realizing she hadn't set an alarm and was possibly very late for school. She frantically looked around for her phone, finding it on the floor and nearly dead. The time was still surprisingly early, which she was thankful for. She glanced around, noticing Shizuo soundly sleeping beside her. She smiled as the events of the prior evening came back to her, making her face flush. Shizuo Heiwajima had taken her virginity. She slowly got out of bed and debated whether or not she actually wanted to go to her classes today. She decided it would be bad to skip and quietly walked into her closet to start getting ready.

She pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and slipped into them, accompanied with a fitted pink v-neck, and lastly a black leather jacket. She dug around for some socks and slid her feet in before exiting her closet and gathering her school bag and other things.

She quickly ate some fruit for breakfast and scribbled a note for Shizuo along with a spare key to lock her place up if he left.

After that she fed Momo and walked to the door with her things, pulling on her shoes quickly and finally left the apartment.

She breathed in the brisk morning air and smiled "Today is going to be great," and with that she descended the stairs and made her way to the university by foot.

A.N: I really hope you enjoyed, I have not gone back in and edited yet. Let me know what you thought of the smutty scene. I'm a bit rusty.


	9. Ensnared

When Kyoko finished with her classes, she walked out of the school in an extremely good mood which was then ruined when she saw Izaya waiting for her by the gate of the school. 

She rolled her eyes and walked past him. She heard him chuckle and was grabbed and pulled alongside him to his waiting car. She turned to glare at him when he shut the door after sliding in after her. "Why are you avoiding me?" He asked, staring her up and down. Kyoko adjusted herself and looked out the window, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Izaya frowned and slid closer to her, forcefully grabbing her chin and turning her to look him in the eyes. She didn't like that and swatted his hand away, reaching for the door handle to let herself out. 

The informant growled and grabbed her waist, pulling her into his chest briefly before pinning her to the seat of the car, startling her entirely. She quickly regained her composure and glared at him, "I'm done playing your games, Izaya." She stated firmly. 

"I'd like to talk if that's alright with you" He sighed, getting off of her and moving away. She shook her head, "No, I'd like to go home," 

Much to the protesting and the obviously ignored request to go home, she ended up at Izaya's penthouse once again and was literally carried over his shoulder up to it. He gently placed Kyoko onto the couch and removed his coat, watching as she stood up and walked around. 

"Kyoko, I understand that I've been a serious jerk lately, but I have an explanation." He grits his teeth as the words came out of his mouth. "I'm not used to this; I'm not used to feeling like a human being." He growled and angrily ran a hand through his hair.

Kyoko felt a twinge of guilt wash over her as he paced the floor, entirely vulnerable. She figured this would be the best time to get back at him and teach him a lesson. She smiled to herself and walked up to him, kissing him and pushing him so his rear leaned against the edge of his desk. Izaya wrapped an arm around Kyoko, using the other to gently cup her face. Kyoko quickly wrapped her scarf around his eyes when she pulled away, swatting his hands when he tried to pull it off. 

"I'm in control, Izaya" She smiled and walked around the desk, silently inserting a flash drive into his computer and began downloading his highly sensitive intel. She grabbed his shoulders and trailed them down his arms and to his wrists, pulling them behind his back. Kyoko quickly opened the desk drawer and pulled out some duct tape and began wrapping that around his wrists. 

"What are you doing?" He asked, a little alarmed. Once she deemed him secure she took her drive and walked back around and pulled the blindfold off. She smiled at him, taking a step back to admire her handiwork. 

"I think it's time this little deal you have going on with me comes to an end." She said casually, "I'm not anyone's toy and I will not sit here while you play with my emotions and feelings. You can do as you please without me around." She finished. 

Izaya chuckled and gave her a questioning look, "What makes you think you can get out so easy?" He asked, smirking. 

"I have this," She held up the flash drive and wagged it back and forth. "I have been collecting all of your intel since day one and have access to your most highly sensitive information." Izaya remained stoic, seemingly unphased until she finished her statement. "I even know where you get it all, and who specifically gives it to you." His smirk fell and Kyoko smiled at her obvious victory. "I don't think you want anyone else to know where it all comes from,"

With that, she walked up to him and kissed his cheek, "I'll be seeing you around, Izaya. Consider that my 'letter of resignation'" She air quoted and walked away, leaving him there. 

The all-knowing Izaya Orihara had been bested in the simplest way possible and he failed to see what was right in front of him all along. His shock quickly changed when she walked out of the door and he began laughing hysterically in the empty room. 

"You drive me insane, woman... I'm all over the place because of you! You have started an entirely different game!" He laughed, then stopped when he realized the predicament he was in. He sighed and tried to figure out how to get untied. 

* * *

Kyoko finally made it home, taking the time to enjoy the warmer air as it hinted spring was coming as she walked to her door. 

She unlocked it and walked inside, wondering if Shizuo was still around. Momo came prancing up to her happily. She removed her shoes and walked inside, dropping her things near the door. "Hello?" She called out, half expecting to hear a response. When she walked into her room, she noticed the bed was made and the sweatpants were neatly folded on top of the bed as well. She walked a little closer and found her note from this morning, which explained she had class and her phone was dead. She flipped it over and found a note from Shizuo. It read:

"Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home, and thank you for last night. I have to work, so I'll stop by when you're available to drop off the key you left me." Kyoko smiled and placed the note down, then flopped onto the bed and snuggled a pillow. 

She scrolled through the Dollars forum, smiling when she got a text from Shizuo. 

_"How was your day?"_ He asked. Kyoko bit her lip and typed a response, 

_"It was pretty good, and yours?"_

Shizuo grinned when he saw that she had a good day. _"That's wonderful. I had a good day myself, not much business until now"_

 _"When do you want to meet next?"_ She asked boldly. 

After a few minutes, she didn't get a response and put her phone down, not realizing she was getting a call from Izaya himself. 

She got up and decided to get comfortable and start on some homework. She completely stripped her clothes away, minus her panties and slid a t-shirt on over her body. She didn't think she'd be going anywhere for the rest of the evening anyway. 

She sat down at her desk and pulled her book out, flipping through until she found the page she needed. She opened her laptop and started typing in the answers to her work. She suddenly turned in her chair, looking around her small office area. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, so she stood after a few more minutes and began inspecting her apartment. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and she went to look for her phone, remembering it was on her bed last. When she got there, it was gone. Her heart began racing in her chest as she looked around the room, her anxiety skyrocketing. 

"You really need to be more careful, Kyoko."

She whirled around to face Izaya. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked angrily. He tossed her a small tablet and she turned it on. Her face visibly paled and her heart skipped a beat when she saw her entire apartment fill multiple screens on the device. She slowly raised her head to look at Izaya and he strode towards her. He tapped the screen and opened a file with yesterday's date as the name. Her blood boiled and her hands began to shake as the sounds of her intimate encounter were played out before her on the screen. 

She whipped the tablet at Izaya and ran at him, tackling him to the floor before he could even react. She brought her arm back and punched him square in the face, immediately drawing blood from his mouth and nose. "What the hell is wrong with you! Why do you have cameras all over my apartment, you sick bastard?!" She screamed in his face. Izaya brought his arms up and shoved her off of him, flicking his blade out instantly. He held it up defensively and slid into a wider stance. Kyoko lunged and faked him out to his right before swinging into the ribs on his left side. She heard a small crack and whirled her body around to land a hard kick to the same place. Even as Izaya blocked, the force still managed to break a rib or two. 

Kyoko dodged as he swiped at her stomach and face; although he did manage to scratch her arm up when she blocked him at the last second. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Shizuo was walking the streets of Ikebukuro, their night coming to an end when Tom noticed Shizuo smiling down at his phone. It was a real smile, so he obviously needed to know the source of his best friend's happiness. "What's got you in such a good mood?" He asked, watching carefully as he turned to look at him, "Kyoko." Was all he said, much to his surprise. Tom smirked and patted Shizuo on the back, "I told you she liked you. So, what happened? Are you just talking, or dating?" He asked curiously. 

Shizuo bit his lip, not sure how to answer his best friend. "I uh, I'm not sure." He replied. Tom laughed out loud and took Shizuo by the shoulders and looked him in the eye with a questionable look, "What?" Shizuo asked. Tom started for a few more seconds before stepping back, "You slept together, didn't you?" 

Shizuo blinked a few times out of shock, still unsure of how to answer. "Um, well, I probably shouldn't say, I mean-" He sighed and shallowly nodded 'yes' as if trying to keep a secret. 

Tom nudged his shoulder and ushered him along, "Let's get this last job finished up so you can get back to that girl of yours" He teased, pulling the blonde along. 

* * *

Kyoko ducked to dodge the knife coming right at her face; Izaya used the opportunity to charge Kyoko and pin her to the nearest wall. He got right in her face and held her hands to the wall tightly. 

"I put them up in case anything like before happened. I never really watched them, until after you left today and something or rather someone left your apartment, sending me an alert. I knew you were at school, so what better reason?" He leaned down, "I must admit, I'm more jealous rather than angry you slept with a monster," He kissed her neck, a chilled shiver rippling throughout her body. She fought to get free of his grip, he only held on tighter. "We may have been playing games Kyoko-chan, but if you wanted it bad enough, all you had to do was ask." He chuckled, his breath fanning against her skin. Kyoko turned her face away, trying to fight the urge to give in to him. She was better than this, she kept telling herself. 

"I would never sleep with you, you're vile, cruel, sadistic, and sad!" She forced the words out, her thoughts screaming in protest, _"and seductive, sexy, cunning,"_ She thought, mentally cursing herself for being so weak. 

Izaya chuckled and traced the waistband of her panties with his switchblade, making Kyoko's breath hitch in her throat. The brunette failed to realize her hands were free, and yet, she remained. "Then why do you react to me in such a way? Why have you kissed me so passionately, so greedily? Hmm?" He asked, nipping at her ears, her knees trembling. "Why is it that...-" He trailed off, his hand cupping her between the legs, making her whimper. "-you're so wet?" he finished, huskily panting in her ear. 

Kyoko gasped and bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from moaning, her whole body was trembling for his touch, but also shaking in anger to get away from him and kick his ass. Izaya chuckled darkly and slowly rubbed. Her lip now bleeding as she fought with everything in her to keep quiet. He kissed her neck again, noticing the small bruises on her ivory flesh. "He even gave you hickies, huh?" 

Kyoko whimpered again when he began sucking on her neck near her collarbone, bringing his free hand to grip her ass as he continued to rub between her legs. When Kyoko couldn't take it anymore and released a moan of pleasure, Izaya stopped and pulled his hand away and stood back to examine Kyoko. 

Her lip was stained with blood, her face flushed, and her body still trembling as she leaned against the wall for support. Her eyes slowly opened to a smirking Izaya, "What did you say about me being, vile, cruel, and sad?" He asked.

Kyoko glared, "And Sadistic," she retorted. She regained some composure and stood up and walked out of the room. "You need to leave." She stated simply.

Izaya followed her into her living room and plopped down on her couch. "See, now that you know where I get my information from, I simply cannot just let you go, per se." He played with his switchblade and Kyoko went into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. When she came back out she asked why.

"We may not have the deal anymore, but you're still a threat to my business, Kyoko-chan. Why do you think I made you work for me?" He answered for her "to keep an eye on you,"

She frowned, "Then why did you include the bit about Shizuo?" She asked.

Izaya smiled, "That was an added bonus,"

Kyoko rubbed her temples in frustration, "why is everything so complicated?..." she asked herself aloud. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

Izaya rose from his seat and walked up to Kyoko, "I'll be seeing you again, Kyoko. Do remember to lock your door," he said, walking out of the door and shutting it behind him.

Kyoko groaned and flopped down on the couch, burying her face in the pillow to scream as loud as she could. When she sat back up she searched for her phone.

Deciding to dig a little deeper, she called Mr. Shiki to get some answers. After a few rings, she heard his raspy voice on the other end, "Yes, Ms. Akiba?" Kyoko smiled, "I need to know about our dealings with Mr. Orihara, don't spare a single detail." She folded a leg over the other and sat back on the couch, listening as he started from the beginning. 

After an hour on the phone with Mr. Shiki, they said goodbye and hung up, Kyoko's grin still plastered on her face. She knew now that she was in control of this game and she would make sure she won. 

In short, Kyoko had found out that Izaya had pretty much barked up the wrong tree with her father when he was caught playing the yakuza against other rival gangs and powerful families. Her father is the sole reason he survived it all, and he still had the audacity to push for intel through their family. Her father felt bad for him and somewhat took him under his wing, which proved to be a mistake when Izaya turned around and did it all again, but with newfound 'skills' from her dad. 

This was all during high school, which was before he was the informant he was now, and even then, it was all because of her family. 

Eventually, meaning more recently, Izaya has been trying to amend things with her father, which was why he was at Izaya's. She still didn't know why he would try and resolve things now. What could his motive be?

With a sigh, she glanced down at the time and grumbled. It was getting late and she still had work to do. With another groan of annoyance, she went back to her office and sat down at her desk to finish up her work. 

An hour later she closed her textbooks and turned in her work, putting everything into her bag before standing and stretching. Her doorbell rang and pulled her from her thoughts. She looked at the time, wondering who would be at her door this late. She walked over and turned the camera of the intercom on, seeing Shizuo on the other side. 

She opened the door and smiled at him, "You're here pretty late. What brings you by?" She asked, leaning against the door. "I know it's late, but I wanted to bring your key back before I forgot and misplaced it or something. I also wanted to apologize for not responding earlier, I got caught up with work" 

Kyoko smiled and took the key from his outstretched hand, "It's okay," only now recalling that she wasn't wearing any pants. Shizuo did his best to keep his eyes on hers but failed when she took the key and his eyes fell. 

A bashful Kyoko laughed nervously and stepped behind the door, using it to cover her body. "I totally forgot, sorry." She apologized. 

Shizuo shook his head, "Don't worry, I should apologize for staring." He replied sheepishly. He leaned towards her and lightly kissed her cheek, "I should be getting home now, Goodnight, Kyoko." 

Kyoko blushed and smiled, "Goodnight Shizuo." He walked away, turning once more to wave to her before she shut the door and locked it. 

She sighed dreamily and in what felt like a daze, went to bed with a smile on her face. 

* * *

In Shinjuku, Izaya watched the screen of the small tablet, replaying what happened earlier in Kyoko's apartment. He smirked watching how Kyoko reacted to the whole thing, even taking an opportunity to study how she fought. He had no idea who taught her and her style was hard to pin. He received an alert, telling him someone was at Kyoko's door. 

His smile turned into a look of disgust as he watched the exchange between the two. His fists clenched when the beast leaned down to place a kiss on Kyoko's cheek. He was gripping the tablet so tight he cracked the corner of the screen. 

He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and placed the tablet down and stood from his desk. He walked to the window and glanced down at the city before him. 

"I don't think this is a game anymore Kyoko, I believe this is now a challenge." He sighed and turned his back to the window, looking across his apartment as he contemplated. 

He strode over to his game board and moved a few pieces around, smirking to himself as a new plan unfolded right before his eyes. "I guess I have no choice but to partake in the competition."

AN: Don't kill me, I know it's short. I hope you enjoyed though. Till next time! 

Comment and Share with your priests! 


	10. Impasse

WARNING: Very out of character Izaya

* * *

It's been a few weeks since Kyoko has seen Izaya and she was happy with it. She was spending more time with Shizuo and growing closer to him. He was opening up to Kyoko in more ways than he'd ever imagined was possible, especially for himself.

It was the weekend now and Kyoko was spending her Saturday afternoon at home, cleaning and working on her homework. In between cleaning, she'd indulge in 'the Dollars' forum, where she found out a lot of interesting rumors about Celty, Shizuo, Izaya, and some color gangs. She did her best to dig up any information she could, seeing as a lot of her clients wanted information on the Dollars.

There really wasn't much to go off, even for her. She enjoyed the page, so she really didn't do much digging. To her, it seemed like a fun place to talk to fellow Ikebukarians and talk to people who you probably wouldn't get to talk to in person.

Kyoko smiled as she scrolled through the site, the beauty of the internet was truly fascinating.

A text from Izaya popped up on her phone, making her frown. It read: "May I come over? I wish to speak with you," She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She thought for a moment, wondering what he wanted to talk about that it needed to be in person. She typed a response, "Sure."

She went to her room after making sure her house was presentable.

After a super quick shower, she changed into a pair of shorts and a tank-top. Just as she pulled her head through the head hole, she heard the doorbell.

When she pulled the door open, Izaya stood with a bouquet of red roses. Kyoko couldn't help the giggle as it escaped her mouth. Izaya's face was flushed a faint pink and he averted his gaze when she looked into his eyes.

"Come in," She moved aside and took the flowers as he passed, "What did you want to talk about?" She asked once they were both settled in her living room.

Izaya cleared his throat and straightened up, looking in her eyes finally. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I wanted to express my actual feelings in hopes that you'll understand me"

For the first time in all the time she's known Izaya, he seemed genuine and vulnerable before her. She nodded and allowed him to continue.

He took a deep breath before speaking, "I have extremely high anxiety, and the only way I seem to be able to calm is it, is when I am in control of a situation. I am impulsive and I hide my emotions with anger." he looked down between his feet, trying to find the words. Kyoko stood and sat beside him on the couch, gently rubbing his shoulder.

She wasn't entirely sure how she should respond to him but decided it wouldn't hurt to hear him out for once and maybe figure out how to crack the rough exterior and maybe help him be a better person.

It was strange to see him this way as he continued talking to her. She was so used to seeing his smirking face and hearing his cocky retorts or his maniacal chuckles. There were times when he'd tense up when speaking and retreat back into himself before talking about something else; Kyoko did her best not to push the matter if he didn't want to speak about it.

After a while, it became more of a conversation between the two, rather a speech from Izaya. He was very open to her ideas and input, even finding comfort in knowing she cared enough to give him feedback after everything that's happened.

In the midst of their conversation, her washing machine chimed throughout the otherwise quiet apartment and Kyoko paused the black-haired man. "Hold on, let me go get that." She quickly retrieved her now damp clothes and took them out onto the balcony to hang them up.

When she came back inside, Izaya was watching her with curious eyes.

"What's the matter?" She asked, coming to sit beside him once more. He glanced between her and the balcony before his gaze settling on her.

"I wish you would come back and work for me..." He stated.

Kyoko was a little shocked, considering he'd admitted to forcing her there as a means to keep an eye on her.

"Why? I thought I was getting in the way of your business?" She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, looking up when he cleared his throat.

"I did, but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy your company or your delicious food."

Kyoko bit back a smile, "Well, I'll think about it..." She finally said.

Izaya stood from the couch and made his way to the door, "I should be going. Thank you for listening." He quickly exited the apartment and Kyoko's heart ached. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, even if he could be crazy at times.

With a sigh, she resumed her cleaning and eventually sank into her plush couch where she was now studying with some music playing in the background. She had some exams coming up and as usual, she was becoming burned out with each page she read. She rubbed her temples and decided she needed a break.

Setting her textbook down she went into the kitchen to make herself some tea when the doorbell rang. She walked over to the door and peeked through the peephole before opening it with a smile.

Shizuo stood on the other side, holding a small box.

Kyoko let him in and shut the door. "What brings you by?" She asked sweetly.

Shizuo followed her into the kitchen and set the small box down, leaning against the counter. "I just wanted to stop by and see how your studying was going. I figured you might want some sweets from that cute little bakery you like."

Kyoko's cheeks flushed momentarily, "That's so sweet, thank you." The kettle began to whistle and Kyoko poured two cups of tea for them both. "I was actually taking a break because my brain feels fried." She laughed.

Shizuo chuckled and they went into the living room with their tea and sweets.

She cleared some of her stuff away and they talked for a little while.

Kyoko glanced at her watch and back to her materials. "I should really get back to studying," she said hesitantly.

Shizuo nodded, "Do you want me to leave?"

Kyoko smiled a little, 'him staying a bit longer wouldn't hurt' she thought.

"You don't have to," she replied casually.

Shizuo smiled and moved to the other end of the couch, giving her some room.

Kyoko grabbed her textbooks and pulled them back into her lap to resume studying. That break was much needed and she mentally thanked Shizuo once more.

After a few lengthy chapters, Shizuo placed the book he was reading down and stretched his long legs. Kyoko was nearly done when Shizuo scooted over and leaned in on her ear. "You look beautiful by the way,"

Kyoko held back a giggle and turned to the next page in the textbook, skimming over the words and taking her notes.

Shizuo tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and leaned down to place a small kiss on her jaw.

Kyoko turned to look him in the eyes.

That was it.

That was all it took.

Staring into his honey-colored eyes just melted her insides and she felt her heart beat faster. She leaned in and placed her lips against his, closing her eyes. She hastily closed her textbook in the midst of their kiss and shoved everything to the floor. She crawled into Shizuo's lap, their chests pressed together as she raked her fingers through his hair.

Shizuo wrapped an arm around her waist, the other cupping her face as he kissed her passionately.

In the past few days, she was all he could think about. Her lips plagued his mind and it was even interfering with his work. His back hit the arm of the couch and Kyoko's body melted into his, her torso now between his legs.

She pulled back momentarily to nibble at his neck, making Shizuo groan.

He gripped her hips tightly, trying to get a grip on himself as well. He could feel his body trying so hard to react and his willpower keeping it all at bay.

When Kyoko trailed her tongue over his Adam's apple and softly nipped at it, he couldn't stop the soft moan that slipped past his lips.

The brunette pulled away with a satisfactory grin, looking down at the irresistible man with a gleam in her eye.

Shizuo cocked a brow and reached a hand up to caress her cheek. "You're beyond gorgeous, you know that?"

Kyoko's face beamed bright red, but she placed her hand over his and squished her cheek. "Thank you, Shizuo." she turned a little into his palm and placed a small kiss on the inside of his hand.

The small gesture warmed the brute's heart, making him cherish the moment all the more.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall and sighed, "I have to get going, but I'll call you later okay?" He leaned over and placed a small kiss on her forehead before standing up.

Kyoko nodded her head and walked him to the door, kissing him once more before he left and she shut the door behind him; locking it tight. She leaned against the door and sighed deeply, opting to rub her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

With a sigh, she pushed herself back into the living room to finish her work.

Eventually, she finished all her assignments, resulting in a headache and a need to get out of her apartment.

She changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt before stepping into her shoes and out the door.

After locking the door and making her way to the ground level she popped her headphones on her head and shoved her hands into her pockets after putting music on.

She walked down the street to the local convenience stores and slowly browsed the aisles, wondering what she'd like to munch on in the meantime. The smell of ramen wafted through the air, the spiciness lingering in the air and making her stomach growl.

Kyoko bit her lip and walked around the corner to look for the cup ramen. She found the one she was looking for and picked it up.

Memories of aimlessly shopping for Izaya popped into her mind. She bit her lip, her fingers lingering on the small bowl of ramen.

Her thoughts traveled to their conversation earlier in the day. She glanced down at her wristwatch and left the store empty-handed.

A newfound mission working its way into her mind. She caught the next train and sat down, looking at her keys. She still had a copy of the key to the penthouse.

Looking up from her thoughts she realized she was already near her stop so she stood up and waited near the door.

The train car was rather empty for the time of night, making Kyoko wonder if she'd be imposing on Izaya If she stopped by. She bit her lip and decided to go through with it anyway, seeing as she was already at the stop for Shinjuku.

As she stepped off the train she noticed a large group of teens getting off as well. She recognized them immediately but decided to mind her own business and carry on with her own plan.

She stopped at a few places before she ended up in front of the penthouse door, debating whether she should knock or just let herself in. Her hand shakily rose but she quickly let it fall to her side before deciding to use the key.

It slid into the lock and although she had doubts, it spun and Kyoko opened the door. She peered inside, immediately noticing Izaya near the large window at his desk. Only, he wasn't alone.

A woman sat on the edge of his desk, much closer than she'd perceive as normal, with her leg crossed over the other one.

Kyoko cleared her throat, claiming the woman's attention and Izaya's.

"I apologize for letting myself in.. but-"

The woman cut her off before she could finish, "Who's this, Izaya?" Her voice was level and firm, a hint of annoyance lacing itself in her tone.

Izaya's eyes grew wide with an excitement Kyoko could see clear across the room, even in the dim light.

"Kyoko Akiba, and who might you be?" Kyoko huffed, walking further into the room. She stopped in front of his desk, watching the woman tense up at her mirrored attitude.

"Namie Yagiri," she flipped her hair over her shoulder like Kyoko should care who she was.

Kyoko placed the bag down on Izaya's desk and smiled sweetly at the otherwise silent informant.

"I thought a lot about our tall earlier today and I needed some fresh air,"

Namie seemed annoyed by Kyoko ignoring her and slid off Izaya's desk. She left with a roll of her eyes and silently left the penthouse.

"What was that all about Kyoko-chan? Jealous are we?" He chuckled and leaned over to glimpse into the bag.

Kyoko scoffed, "Jealous of what? I've got you wrapped around my little finger, Izaya Orihara," she joked, pulling the bag away before he could get into it.

Izaya glared half-heartedly at her before standing from his chair. "Don't flatter yourself little Kyoko-chan," he crossed his arms over his chest. "Not that I mind you being here, but it is late," he eyed her up and down, making Kyoko's skin tingle.

She giggled and pulled out a container filled with his favorite fatty tuna sushi.

"Well if that's the case, I cashed in a favor Simon owed me, but I guess it was a waste... what shall I do with all these delicious tuna?" she waved it around in front of him before popping it open.

She plucked a piece from the container before bringing it to her lips with a devious smile.

Kyoko could see the small glimmer of childlike disappointment in Izaya's eyes for a moment before it vanished and was replaced with anger. She laughed and put it in her mouth before handing the container to Izaya.

"Here, pouty pants,"

Izaya took it happily and plopped back down in his chair, eating the savory sushi.

Kyoko took her meal out of the bag as well and went into the kitchen to boil some water for her ramen.

As Izaya ate she leaned against the counter and looked around, flashes of her sultry encounters coming to mind.

She blushed, turning to meet the ever so curious stare of the internet troll. She averted her gaze and looked down at the floor.

When the water was nice and bubbly, Kyoko poured it over her noodles and let the water work its magic while she opened a drawer to retrieve chopsticks. Once she found them she opened her soft boiled egg and split it open with her hands before peeling the paper lid from the bowl and adding her egg.

She hopped up onto the counter and ate her own food quietly, the occasional slurp interrupted the eerily silent room.

Whenever Kyoko would look up from her food, Izaya's eyes were on her; every time heat flooded her features.

Finally finished and fed up she discarded her empty bowl before turning to him with her hands on her hips.

"If I'm going to come and work for you again, the staring needs to stop," ger voice caught Izaya off guard, but his eyes glued to her nonetheless.

He cleared his throat and polished off the last of his food, "So, you're going to work for me again?" He mused.

Kyoko rounded the corner and stopped in front of him once more. "As long as there are no more tricks involved. Yes." She didn't really know what was going through her head as the words left her mouth, but something felt different about Izaya. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?

Izaya smirked, "I agree," his tone sent a ripple of... fear down her spine. She quickly recovered and nodded, "Of course," she smiled a sickly sweet smile and picked up his now empty container. She tossed it in the trash before looking at her watch once more.

"I should be heading home now, I'll see you tomorrow, Izaya."

Kyoko made her departure quick, much like Namie; hoping to leave that conversation where it was until a later date or before Izaya got any funny ideas.

"Well, this will be fun," she sighed and ran a hand through her hair as the elevator descended to the lobby.


	11. Yakuza and Tea

Despite the rather awkward way of coming back to work for Izaya, things seemed normal the next day when she returned after a long day of classes.

She entered the penthouse and tossed her things down on the large couch, rolling her sore shoulders around for some relief. To no avail, she sauntered into the kitchen to make tea.

Izaya was nowhere in sight, but the brunette paid no mind as she leaned against the counter and scrolled through her phone; the Dollars forum catching her eye once more.

'Strongest Man in Ikebukuro is fighting some guy in a parka'

Kyoko sighed, knowing that Izaya and Shizuo were fighting once again. The kettle whistled, pulling her from her screen with a jolt. She tucked her phone into her pocket and finished preparing tea.

The tall stack of files beckoned her as she rounded the corner, her eyes lulling over the informant's desk. She set the mug down and picked up the stack, beginning to sort through them.

Once the last one slid into its place, she turned to the sound of the doorbell ringing.

She straightened out her clothes before walking to the door, heaving it open and a wide smile plastered on her face.

The small group of men before her faltered her grin, but she quickly recovered and stepped aside to let them in. She knew these men all too well, they worked for her father.

"Good afternoon gentleman, Mr. Orihara isn't here at the moment. He should be back shortly." She shut the door quietly and gestured to the living area. "Please, make yourselves comfortable while I make you some tea."

She quickly gathered her things from the couch and moved them elsewhere as the men all sat down. The room was eerily quiet, making her wonder if they recognized her or not.

Back in the kitchen, she readied some more tea, pulling out her cell phone to inform Izaya of his guests.

He didn't respond by the time she had served the men, causing her to wonder what on earth he was doing.

"Ms. Akiba, does your father know you're involved with Mr. Orihara?" A voice pulled her gaze as she set the teapot down.

"Mr. Otome, I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me," she playfully giggled.

He chuckled along with her, his icy blue gaze faltering. "Of course not, Ms. Akiba,"

Kyoko clasped her hands together behind her back and smiled warmly, "My father knows I can take care of myself." She lied smoothly. "No need to trouble yourself over me, I have my own means of protection," her face was that of a conditioned girl, stoic and stern.

Mr. Otome nodded his head and sipped his tea.

The door opened and closed, Izaya's overly cheery voice bounced off the walls.

"Gentleman, thank you for joining me today. I apologize for being late, there were a few loose ends I needed to tie up," he plopped himself down in an armchair.

Kyoko retreated to the kitchen, keeping her ears sharp to their conversation.

They didn't talk about much to her surprise. They slid a case across the table to Izaya. He peeked inside before snapping it shut again with a grin on his face.

Kyoko scrolled through the Dollars forum and saw pictures of Shizuo and Izaya's fight.

She expected him to call her or even shoot her a text, but she never got one. She sent him a quick text, asking if he was okay.

Long after the men left and Izaya went about his work, she didn't receive anything.

By the time night fell and the sparkling lights of the city poured in through the window, Kyoko had managed to finish her school work and then some when the informant finally broke the silence that stung the room all evening.

"Kyoko-chan, you look exhausted~" he cooed from behind her.

She had been typing away on her laptop, working on another case.

Izaya gently gripped her shoulders and began kneading them with his fingers.

Kyoko thought it was a bit odd, but loved the feeling and allowed him to continue anyway. She finished up her document and started on another one.

"You seem to have quite a few jobs, hmm?" He asked, leaning down to peer over her shoulder.

Kyoko sighed and closed her laptop. "My jobs are none of your business." She could feel his warm breath against her cheek at the proximity of their faces but paid no mind. She started packing up her things back into her bag. Izaya chuckled and dug his thumbs into the knots in her neck.

"Mmm, that feels good," the words slipped past her lips before her brain could stop her. She could feel the tension trickling away as his fingers worked wonders over her sore muscles.

"I'm hungry, are you?" She asked, rolling her neck around to look up at him.

Izaya slid his hands down the sides of her arms, resting them there, "would you like to have dinner with me?" He asked, stepping back so Kyoko could look at him properly.

Kyoko sat up and turned around in her chair, feeling a whole new level of relaxation. "I don't want to cook, nor do I want to go out," she pondered.

Before she could suggest any alternatives, Izaya pulled out his phone and walked towards his desk, already dialing a number.

Kyoko finished putting her things away and got up from her spot at the other desk. She walked toward the large window and looked out, the lights never ceasing to amaze her.

Izaya hung up the phone, Kyoko too lost In thought to hear any of his conversations.

He pulled her from her hypnotic trance, "Food will be here in twenty, how about we watch a movie?"

For once in her life, Izaya looked so... awkward to her. She stifled a giggle and nodded, "Sure," although she wouldn't admit it out loud, this new side of Izaya could potentially lay the groundwork for the friendship she'd never thought possible between the pair of them. It made her smile.

They sat on the couch and Izaya turned on the t.v. He flipped through some channels, occasionally turning to look at Kyoko for confirmation.

When they finally found something to watch, the doorbell rang.

Instinctively, Kyoko went to stand up, but Izaya motioned for her to stay put as he stood and retrieved the food.

The apartment was now much dimmer as Izaya turned off a few lights, the only light coming from the beaming t.v and the soft glow of the city.

Kyoko and Izaya ate in a now comfortable silence, the movie playing before them. After a while when the food was eaten and the movie was over, Kyoko had dozed off and was peacefully curled up on her end of the couch.

Izaya smiled to himself and pulled a blanket over her. He turned off the t.v and cleaned up before heading to his room for the night.

The following morning was almost frightening for the young college student as she woke up not in her apartment. Fear trickled down her spine until realization dawned upon her. Her quickened pulse settled and she looked around. Izaya nowhere in sight.

With a heaved sigh and a yawn of protest, Kyoko detangled herself from the blanket and got off the couch. She rummaged around for her phone and to her relief she still had time to get ready for the day before classes began.

Then, she realized that today was Saturday.

Kyoko sighed and trekked up the stairs to locate the informant. Last night made Kyoko conclude that Izaya could potentially have a good side, so today she would see just how far she could push the newfound boundary.

She walked into his room and found him sleeping on his bed, his hair all over much like a troll.

Kyoko grinned and hopped up on his bed and started jumping.

Izaya groaned and peeked an eye open to squint at her bouncing figure.

"Good morning, Izaya!" She chirped energetically. "Get up, we have plans today!" She sang, still jumping up and down.

He groaned in protest and covered his face with a pillow. "What do you want, Kyoko?" He growled.

"Ouch, no 'chan' at the end of that one, huh?" She teased, "I want to go shopping, so let's go,"

She hopped down and pulled open the curtains, causing the man to groan in annoyance.

"Meet me at my place in an hour." She stated firmly before leaving his room, and then his penthouse.

Her journey home was quick, the train rather empty for once. As soon as she was at her own place again she went to shower and get ready for the day.

Kyoko took her time in the shower before she decided she was done and stepped out to dry off. Standing in her closet she debated her outfit. Comfort or style?

She decided to have the best of both worlds before pulling her legs into a pair of baggy jeans. They had stylish holes in them, but nothing too drastic. Carefully, she selected a subtle long-sleeved cropped shirt and a jacket to go over the top. Lastly, she slid her feet into a pair of socks and stood to throw a beanie on and she was ready.

Momo mewed at her ankles, affectionately rubbing against her. Kyoko giggled and picked the cat up, nuzzling her and kissing her soft head. The cat purred with satisfaction before pulling away and meowing all the way to the kitchen.

Her owner followed and filled her bowls with food and water. When she caught a glimpse of the time she hurried over to the door and slipped on a pair of shoes just before leaving and locking the door.

A tall blonde bartender halted her steps.  
"Shizuo!," Kyoko stood up on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around the taller man before her. "Where have you been?" She asked, "I saw that you two got into it and I tried texting you," she pulled back and looked up into his eyes.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Kyoko. Izaya smashed my phone in the middle of our fight and I got caught up afterward." He cupped Kyoko's cheeks and leaned down to press his lips against hers.

Kyoko melted into the kiss and forgot all about her worries. The kiss took her by surprise, 'does this make us official?'

Shizuo wrapped his arms around her waist, the tension in his body shriveling away.

When the pair pulled away, Kyoko bit her lip. "I kind of dragged Izaya into going shopping," she admitted, pointing to the man as she noticed him on the ground level.

Shizuo grimaced and rubbed his temples, "Am I going to get an explanation at some point?" He asked.

Kyoko giggled and stood on her tippy toes again, "of course, if you want to come over later, I'll explain it all over dinner," she kissed him on the lips again, quieting the man's mind.

They separated with smiles and Kyoko squealed in surprise as Shizuo gave her a firm squeeze before letting her go.

To her surprise, Izaya was pretty quiet standing near the stairs.

Kyoko descended and gave him a warm smile.

"So, where are we going?" Izaya asked, a yawn following shortly after.

"To the mall. There's one nearby actually," Kyoko looped her arm through Izaya's and dragged him along. "I need new spring clothes,"

Izaya rolled his eyes and followed along, shoving his free hand in his pocket.

Their walk was silent, the air warm and inviting around them. Kyoko took a big deep breath and smiled, "It's getting so nice out, don't you think?" She turned to look at the gloomy informant.

He sighed, "I guess it is,"

Kyoko bit her lip and pulled away from Izaya, walking up to the mall entrance.

"If you want to do your own shopping, I'll be around here," she pointed out a few stores.

The informant nodded and walked off, leaving Kyoko all alone. She ran her fingers through her hair, her thoughts trailing off.

She went into a store and started picking out clothes to try on. Once her arms were full, she walked over to the changing rooms and started trying things on.

She would step out and look in one of the bigger mirrors to get a better feel of the outfit she'd thrown together.

While smoothing out the pleated skirt she was wearing she caught a glimpse of Izaya staring at her from the doorway of the store.

She turned around and smiled at him, waving him over.

"What do you think?" She asked as he got closer.

Izaya sat down on a tufted ottoman, resting his chin in his hand. "It's cute," he sighed.

Kyoko rolled her eyes and looked the outfit over once more before going back into the changing room. She tried on everything she picked out and ended up purchasing it all.

"I'm done in this shop, are you coming?" She held the bags in her hands and left the store.

Their afternoon went on smoothly until Kyoko couldn't hold all the bags she acquired. Izaya was trailing behind her empty-handed.

She sighed and decided she had more than enough for spring and soon to be summer. She started for the exit.

Once she arrived home, Izaya helped her bring her bags in, having been coaxed into carrying some home for her.

He set everything down and sighed, "well that was more enjoyable for you, Kyoko-chan." Izaya plopped down on her couch and Kyoko began working in the kitchen.

"How lovely, is Kyoko-chan making me dinner for helping her?" He cooed from beside her.

Startled, Kyoko's shoulders jumped from their resting position.

"Does my presence startle you?" He chuckled and rested his hands on her shoulders, slowly kneading them like he had the night before.

Kyoko blushed and shrugged out of his hold, "Actually, I'm making dinner for Shizuo," she bit her lip as she chopped some vegetables.

"Would you mind leaving before he gets here-"

The chime of the doorbell halted her voice, her body becoming rigid.

Before she could get to it, Izaya was pulling her front door open to her absolute horror. She darted for the door and shoved Izaya out of her way, "Sorry, Sh-" her eyes widened when she realized it was her father.

"F-Father, what brings you by?" She smiled brightly. Izaya peered over her shoulder before standing fully.

"I've come to see my beautiful daughter," he chuckled.

Kyoko moved aside and allowed him in, Izaya bowed from beside her. She took his coat and went back to the kitchen, deciding to up her recipe for two more people.

She sighed and pulled her apron on, looking to make a grand meal for the three grown men.

"So, Kyoko what brings the likes of Izaya Orihara to your home at this hour?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Kyoko bit her lip and turned to look at her father, "I work for him a few days out of the week. Today he was helping me carry all of my shopping bags, so I thought I'd treat him to a meal... and, one more guest is coming."

Her father reached over and ruffled her hair, "Then, you wouldn't mind if I have a business-related chat with Izaya in the meantime?"

Kyoko returned to her cooking and shook her head, "Not at all,"

Her father left the kitchen and sat down with Izaya.

As Kyoko gathered her ingredients and put them all together, the doorbell rang again and she practically darted for the door.

Without hesitation she yanked Shizuo in and shut the door, quietly getting him into the kitchen.

Startled, he gave her a questioning look. "What's going on?" He asked worriedly.

Kyoko sighed, "Izaya and my father are talking in my living room. I'm not sure why he's here, but it looks like we are all having dinner together,"

Shizuo chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, as long as I get some time alone with you, I don't mind,"

Kyoko blushed, "Well, I'll introduce you but I need to get back to cooking," she laughed and they both walked out into the living room.

"Father, this is Shizuo Heiwajima, my boyfriend." She hesitated for a moment, looking up at Shizuo for reassurance.

He smiled warmly and bowed to her father, "Hello, Mr. Akiba, it's a pleasure to meet you," as he straightened out, Kyoko's father stood and shook Shizuo's hand. Kyoko brought out some tea after leaving them to talk amongst themselves, watching as Izaya surveyed the room with dark eyes.

After returning to the kitchen she checked on her food, before setting the table. The aroma filled the apartment, making all three men hungry.

Once all the food was at the table Kyoko grabbed a few bottles of beer from her fridge and poured everyone a glass as they sat at the table.

They all sat down and began eating. The meal was rather quiet at first before her father broke the silence to ask a few questions.

"So, Shizuo, how long have you known my daughter?" He asked, placing his chopsticks down to take a drink.

Shizuo swallowed the food in his mouth and straightened out, "We have known each other since middle school, sir," he also took a swig of his drink.

Kyoko dabbed her mouth with a napkin and cleared her throat, "I hope you all have room for dessert," she got up from her seat and started to clean up as they finished the spread before them.

Shizuo stepped in and offered to help, but Kyoko's father pulled him aside to speak with him, leaving her with Izaya.

"You were rather quiet for once," she teased, stacking all the dishes to carry them to the kitchen.

"I was refraining from antagonizing the beast," he quipped, earning him a smack from Kyoko.

"Well, your usual antics aside, I appreciate that," she smiled. The pair of them cleaned up, Kyoko washed and Izaya dried. By then, Shizuo and her father returned.

"I'd love to stay for dessert, dear but I really should be going. Next time, I'll bring your mother and brother," he leaned over and placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead. "It was lovely seeing you," he paused, "and meeting your friend and boyfriend," he gathered his coat and slipped it on before his daughter followed him out.

Shizuo helped himself to the restroom and Izaya took the opportunity to corner Kyoko.

After everything, he was at his wit's end.

He pinned her to the wall and leaned in close, "You may be with Shizuo, but that doesn't mean my game isn't over, Kyoko."

Her heart was hammering against her chest, she tried to pull away.

Izaya smirked and pulled back before hastily making his exit.

Shizuo returned and pulled Kyoko into his arms, "I believe you owe me an explanation, beautiful," he chuckled and picked her up, bringing her to the living room.

"Well...." she started.

After explaining everything about Izaya, about the job, about what happened while she worked there, her secret job, she spilled everything to him.

"After today, I didn't want to start a relationship with you based on lies." She looked up at him and bit her lip. She couldn't tell what his eyes were saying, she couldn't read him at all at this moment.

"Well, um..that's a lot to take in... especially the..bits about Izaya.." he scratched the back of his head and avoided eye contact.

"I understand if you need time to process," Kyoko bit her lip and clasped her hands in her lap nervously.

Shizuo took her face in his hands and her gaze met him, "Kyoko, I'm not sure I need time to process. I mean, I understand why you did what you did.. I don't necessarily like the idea of Izaya and you.. but it's okay," he smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

Their lips met and Kyoko closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him. The kiss was sweet and quick.

He pulled away briefly and rested his forehead against hers, "All that matters is that you're mine now,"

Shivers trickled down her spine and a radiant blush graced her cheeks. Her body tingled with warmth and joy that she couldn't contain. She leaned up again and met his lips, her arms encircling his neck.

Shizuo smiled into the kiss and pulled her into his lap, giving her rear a rough squeeze.

A gasp opened her mouth and he pushed his tongue inside, making Kyoko moan.

She slid her fingers into his hair, his lips leaving hers to travel along her jaw and down her neck.

"Shizu-" her voice cut short when he pinned her to the couch, his lips capturing hers in a hasty exchange.

The sound of a cellphone ringing pulled the two apart, startled.

Shizuo sighed and sat up, sitting on his knees.

Kyoko knew it wasn't hers and started kissing Shizuo's neck as he shuffled around for the phone. "I thought you didn't have one?" She cooed in between kisses.

The blonde groaned as he fumbled with the phone, "I-It's Tom," Kyoko didn't cease her attack on his neck even as he answered.

"H-Hey Tom, what's up?" He bit back a groan when Kyoko started leaving hickeys on his neck.

Shizuo bit back another groan and Kyoko giggled.

"Y-Yeah, I'm in the area actually, ca-can I meet you in a few?"

Shizuo quickly hung up the phone just as Kyoko teasingly popped all of his shirt buttons open. Her lips leaving a trail down his chest.

"Kyoko, I have to g-go," he groaned, tossing his head back in defeat.

Shizuo bit his lip and tried to button his shirt back up, which Kyoko kept unbuttoning.

"I'm sure you can stay a little longer, no?" She climbed onto his lap and rocked her hips a little, hoping to coax him to stay.

He moaned and gripped her hips, "If I could, I would... It's for work," he sighed.

Kyoko sighed and climbed off of Shizuo's lap, taking a moment to smooth out her clothes. She cleared her throat and remembered all of the clothes she bought were still in the living room.

She bent down and rummaged through one of the bags as Shizuo collected himself. When she found what she was looking for she pulled it out carefully and turned to Shizuo.

"I guess I'll have to model these some other time then," she held up a very silky nightgown hemmed with lace embroidery.

Shizuo bit his lip and stood up from the couch, gently gripped her shoulders and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "I'll try to come back in a little while, but don't wait up if it becomes too late, okay?" He leaned in and pecked her lips once more before gathering his vest and heading for the door.

After an hour or so, Kyoko cleaned up, still no sign of Shizuo. Another hour passed and by then, Kyoko was passed out on her couch, clad in her new nightgown.

As the girl slept and the bartender worked into the night, things were brewing online. The forums were blowing up with the crime happening all over the city; some even Izaya's doing. A lot can happen in just a few hours.

A man dressed in all black had been following Shizuo since he left Kyoko's apartment and another was planted outside her home, watching.

Izaya stared down at his board and moved his pieces around with a triumphant smirk. "Everything is falling into place now," he chuckled.

Izaya moved a few more pieces before stepping away to admire his game. Everything was planned out, every move he made. He turned to Namie, who was wondering what was even going on. "Namie, please go ahead with what we discussed earlier,"

She nodded and typed away on her laptop for a few moments before it went silent in the room again. "It's done,"

Izaya smiled and moved another piece on the board. He pulled out his phone and texted a few different clients before shutting his phone. Another few pieces shifted.

Izaya grabbed his coat from the couch and pulled it on, "Now, it's time to cause some trouble in Ikebukuro," he smirked.

He left without another word and skipped through the streets of Shinjuku until he got on the train to Ikebukuro. The informant had started a war, and nobody was prepared for it. 

* * *

A/N: I have not edited yet, so please point out any mistakes if there are any. 


	12. War

The following morning when Kyoko woke up, it wasn't to the sound of an alarm, rather, the sound of men rushing into her apartment.

Before she could panic, one of them stepped forward and bowed to her, the other dozen men looked down at the floor. "Ms. Akiba, we apologize for the intrusion, I have been ordered to bring you back to the family estate for your safety. Everything will be explained there," he raised his head and averted his gaze.

Kyoko had no idea what was going on but sighed and went into her room to get changed. This wasn't the first time something like this happened. Kyoko packed a duffle bag full of clothes and other necessities before coming out and gathering Momo and putting them in a carrier.

She slipped on some shoes and followed the men downstairs and into a car.

The ride was silent and before long, they pulled up to one of the family's larger homes. It wasn't one they used often, more so for situations like this.

Kyoko was escorted inside and her mother engulfed her in a smothering hug. "Thank goodness you're alright,"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, wondering what happened. Her mother brought her into the living room of the house where her father was consulting with a group of men, her brother lazily lounging on the couch.

"There was a leak of information and now some of the other families are in a frenzy," Shiki piped up, emerging from behind the bar.

Kyoko bit her lip, "leak? Do you think?-"

Her father cleared his throat and the other men left the room, "The most obvious suspect would be Izaya Orihara. He has ties to all of the leading families, but we've had him on a tight leash lately."

Kyoko sat down and rubbed her temples, "Knowing Izaya, he would also come to that same conclusion, so either it isn't him or he's the one pulling the strings for someone else,"

Her father nodded, "The informant seemed rather fond of you, do you think you could get him to-"

"It's possible," she interrupted. "It might be difficult, but I'd need to talk to Shizuo first...I'm sure you've heard of the pair battling on the streets," Kyoko looked up at her father. "They're not close at all and even I was shocked they weren't at each other's throats,"

Kyoko's mother was giving her a skeptical look, "Sorry mom, Shizuo is my boyfriend and I sometimes work for Izaya," she admitted, looking between both of her parents.

Her mother's dull look switched to one of joy, "Well, we can discuss that later. For now, it seems you and your father need to talk," she got up and went into the other room.

"Father, what is going on?" She asked, moving closer to him.

"Some of the other families have began to wonder if we can trust each other. There have been a few death threats, which have been handled, but.." he trailed off and sighed, "The daughter of the Ryuuga family has been taken and the Tanaka family is the one being accused,"

Kyoko could tell where the rest of this was going and hugged her father, "Father, I think I can help this situation, If you'll let me,"

He turned to her, "Kyoko, I could never live with myself if anything happened to you, I-" he paused and Kyoko could see the damage this had done. She knew there was more to the story than he was letting on.

"Father, I wouldn't need to leave to help, I just need a few things before I can begin," she hugged him tight, "Don't worry, I'll get one of the men to go and get what I need and I'll do what I can."

Her father nodded and rubbed his head, "please be careful, Kyoko,"

Kyoko kissed her father's cheek and went up to Shiki, "Shiki-san, I need your men to run a few errands for me,"

He stood up from his seat and bowed to her, "Yes, Miss Akiba, anything you need,"

"First, I need you to arrange for Shizuo Heiwajima to meet me here this evening for dinner. Then, I need someone to get these items from the store for me," Kyoko bent down at a table and scribbled down something on some paper, handing it to Shiki-san.

Shiki-san took it and bowed once more, "Very well, Miss Akiba,"

Kyoko left the room and headed into the kitchen where her mother and brother were. "Mom, Shizuo will be coming over tonight for dinner,"

She leaned against the counter and reached for the bowl of fruit her brother was eating out of.

"Hey, get your own," he glared playfully.

Kyoko laughed and snagged a piece before he swatted her hand away. She popped the kiwi slice into her mouth and chewed it with a victorious smirk.

Her brother stuck out his tongue and made a funny face, causing their mother to laugh.

"You two," she shook her head playfully and wiped her hands on her apron. "I hope this all blows over soon," she sighed.

Kyoko admired her mother, no matter what she had always been a down to earth kind of woman. No matter how much her father insisted they had someone else clean their house or cook their food, or drive her around; she protested. She always described it as 'silly' when she could do those things for her family herself. She smiled at her mother.

Not long after she finished eating the lunch her mother prepared one of the men walked in with an arm full of bags. "Miss Akiba, the items you requested are all here, as for Mr. Heiwajima, he has agreed to come this evening and asked me to give you this," he handed her a small strip of paper which had a phone number on it.

Kyoko took the bags and the piece of paper upstairs to the room she had here and set everything up.

After a few minutes Kyoko began typing away on the computer and made herself comfortable. She had a lot of work to do.

She found out rather quickly that the information was coming from an amateur hacker and info broker, but what sparked her curiosity was how she found said information. It was as if this person wanted to be found out, more specifically they wanted her to find it. Kyoko bit her lip and scrolled through a few files on the computer. She pulled out her phone and dialed Izaya's number.

"Kyoko-chan, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He cooed through the phone.

"Izaya, you wouldn't happen to have anything to do with this, would you? The information I recovered was laying out in the open,"

Izaya chucked, "I haven't the slightest idea to what you're talking about,"

"I think you do, Izaya. Answer this for me; why would information of this caliber be left out like this? It's almost like you wanted it to be found,"

There was a brief pause before he sighed, "Well, if you must know, my hands are clean for once. I know what happened and I have clients paying me a lot of money to bury this situation, so, perhaps we could work together on this?"

Kyoko laughed at his proposal, "I find it hard to believe that the biggest thing to cause strife within the Yakuza has nothing to do with you, Izaya. I mean, you do have a history..."

It was Izaya's turn to laugh, "I have nothing to gain from this ordeal, Kyoko-chan; even if I did, I wouldn't be so stupid as to let an amateur ruin it all by leaving breadcrumbs,"

Izaya had a point, and from what Kyoko could tell, he was telling the truth. Not to mention he didnt have much on the Yakuza the last time she perused his files, especially the ones she stole.

"Suppose you don't have anything to do with this; how are you able to help?" She finally said.

"Well, I'd need to meet with you and your father to discuss the terms,"

Kyoko rolled her eyes, "I'll discuss things with him later and get back to you on that, in the meantime, keep your hands clean." With that, she hung up the phone and groaned. "Dead end,"

Before she tucked her phone away, a notification popped up from the Dollars. She tapped the screen and read through the forums. Nothing caught her immediate interest until she scrolled a little further down and saw a post, making her blood run cold.

It was a picture of her walking down the street, probably from walking to school. The post read, 'you're next' she screenshot the page and scrolled through the comments. Most of them talking about her family and where she was from. A few others saying her father would kill the OP.

The original poster had replied to a few, mostly to blab on about how her 'time would come.'

The cogs started to turn in her head, wondering if this was the person who started this whole mess with the Yakuza. Why would they want the Yakuza's attention?

Kyoko grinned, a plan working it's way into her mind. She turned everything off on the computer and stepped into the bathroom to shower.

The steaming water brought her mind to another place, calming her troubled thoughts. She took her time washing up before finally stepping out and drying off. She walked over to the closet where her clothes already hung and picked out a fresh outfit.

Clad in a pair of jeans, blouse and comfy cardigan, she descended the stairs.

When she got downstairs, she found everyone in the living room, including Shizuo.

She smiled and walked into the room, "I assume introductions are out of the way by now?" She laughed and sat down beside him.

"Shizuo was just telling us about his family," her brother piped up.

"Dinner is ready," her mother came out of the kitchen and wiped her hands on her apron.

Everyone made their way into the dining room and sat at the table. Shizuo and Kyoko sat beside one another, her brother across from them and her mother and father at either head of the table. The table was graced with a spread worthy of a king.

Everyone started eating silently before anyone started conversation.

"Shizuo, what do you do?" Her brother asked, picking at some rice lazily.

"I am a debt collector," he replied, offering a sly smile towards Kyoko.

She reached over under the table and placed her hand on his thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze.   
"Shizuo is great at his job," she added.

"What about you, Ryu?" He asked, placing his chopsticks down.

"I'm currently working towards becoming a lawyer, I recently graduated from grad school and now I'm planning to go abroad for law school." He wiped his mouth with a napkin and rested his elbows on the table, already finished eating.

"Sounds like you have it all figured out, congratulations,"

Ryu waved his hand dismissively, "I like to think I do," he chuckled.

Kyoko's mother clasped her hands together and stood from the table, "Well, I'll go ahead and get this cleaned up now," She smiled and shooed everyone along.

Kyoko led Shizuo up to her room and shut the door, Shizuo visibly paled.

She noticed the look on his face and giggled, "Relax," she pulled him to the bed to sit down, "I just needed to speak to you privately for a moment,"

He relaxed a bit and nodded.

"I have to work alongside Izaya on a case... it involves my family and possibly the Dollars, I don't know who's causing all this but to find out I need his help," she took his hands in hers.

Shizuo wasn't sure how to respond, instead he pulled Kyoko into a firm hug, "Thanks for the heads up, I'm glad you told me," he pulled back a little, looking into her eyes. "I'm sure you'll do whatever you need to to protect your family," he smoothed down her hair, inhaling her scent.

Kyoko smiled and hugged him tighter, "Thank you, Shizuo,"

The pair released one another and left the room shortly after.

When they made it downstairs everyone was in the dining room again, surrounding the table. Their attention fixated on a beautiful pie.

"Mmm, smells good mom," Kyoko smiled, pulling a chair out for herself.

Everyone went to sit down as well, the ear splitting sound of glass shattering took over the room.

Shizuo shielded Kyoko and her father, they were standing next to him, and got to the ground. Ryu did the same with his mother.

All Kyoko could hear was shouting and what she thought was gunfire. Shizuo slowly lifted his body off the ground and looked around before bolting up and out the door.

"Shizuo!" Kyoko called after him and sat up, only to be pulled back down by her father, "Kyoko, stay here!"

She bit her lip and stayed put.

Men were shouting and she could hear them running around outside. The steps were getting louder as a group of them rushed inside and surrounded the family.

"Mr. Akiba, we need to get everyone out of here, is everyone alright?" One of them asked.

Her father looked across the room to his wife and son, who both nodded after looking themselves over.

"We're all okay," he replied, helping Kyoko stand.

The man nodded and turned to speak into the cuff of his sleeve, then ushered everyone out the back and into a car waiting for them.

Kyoko was the last one to get in, "Where's Shizuo? I'm not leaving without him," she looked around, seeing objects flying in front of the house. Before she could be stopped she darted and ran to the front of the house. She could hear her parents calling after her but she ignored them.

She saw Shizuo send three men flying with a street sign. Her eyes grew wide as a man standing off to the side aimed his gun at Shizuo.

Kyoko wasted no time and took off towards the man, using some debris to launch herself into the air; she tackled him and pinned him to the ground, disarming him in the process.

"Shizuo! We need to leave!," she cried, still trying to keep the man pinned. He managed to get an arm free and swung for Kyoko's face.

Shizuo tossed the street sign at a few stragglers and looked in Kyoko's direction just as the man pulled free.

At the last second Kyoko dodged the punch and pulled her head back, angrily turning and punching him. He fell back and Kyoko grinned happily as the men from her family started cleaning up the mess. Luckily there was no news coverage yet, so she grabbed Shizuo's hand and ran into the alleyway.

"That was dangerous, Shizuo, I was so scared," she sighed and leaned against the wall.

"I was more worried seeing you run into that mess," he reached over and cupped her face in his hands. "I've been shot before, so I wasn't really worried," he admitted.

Kyoko placed her hands over his and bit her lip, "That doesn't make you indestructible," she laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Her face pressed into his chest, "Thank you for protecting us,"

Shizuo melted into her embrace, wondering how someone like her could care so much for someone like himself.

"Let's get back to your family," he said, pulling away and looking Kyoko over, "just need to be sure," he chuckled when she shot him a questioning look.

========

After the family made it to another safe house, Kyoko pulled her father aside, "Father, I do need to get back to my routine..." she started, looking into his tired brown eyes.

"Kyoko, I do not want my only daughter out there all alone traveling to school unattended," he sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I know, Father, but I have a solution..." she bit her lip, choosing her next few words carefully. "It would be too troublesome to travel to school from here. So, I wanted to tell you that Shizuo has offered to stay in my apartment with me until this all blows over. Besides, we need to act like everything is normal in case the media gets involved," she shifted in her seat, wondering what her father was thinking. "He would sleep in the guest room and walk me to and from school," she added, hoping this wouldn't cause a fight.

Her father sighed, "I suppose it's better than having you followed around by a guard, but what about when you're in school, darling, nobody can protect you there," he sat back in his chair; Shiki brought him a glass of what could only be whiskey.

"I figured you could have one of the guards pretend to be a student while I'm there," she got up from her seat and went to her father's side, kneeling beside his chair to hug him, "Our top priority, next to safety, is keeping a low profile, if I suddenly have guards all around my apartment and walking behind me, it'll draw attention..." she trailed off, "but not if it's Shizuo," she released her father from her hug as he nodded and heaved a heavy sigh. "I suppose you're right,"

Kyoko smiled and kissed her father's cheek, "I'll be extra careful too, father. It's getting late and I need to study when I get home. I'll make sure to give you daily updates, okay?"

He nodded once more and Kyoko left the study to say her goodbyes for the evening, leaving with Shizuo in tow.

"So, how did your father take it?" He asked.

The pair were seated side by side in the backseat of a car, Shiki himself taking the liberty to drive them.

"He took it well, so you're my new bodyguard," she smiled.

"Do you mind if we stop at my place so I can grab a few things?" He asked, looking down into his lap.

"Not at all," she leaned forward and tapped Shiki on the shoulder, "we need to stop at Shizuo's house first," the man nodded and Shizuo told him where he lived.

The ride was short and otherwise silent until they got to Shizuo's apartment. It was a simpler building with two floors.

Shizuo got out and held up three fingers, indicating he'd only need three minutes. Not a minute over he returned with a full duffle bag.

Kyoko thought back to when Shizuo mentioned living in the area; he wasn't joking when he said he lived nearby.

A few minutes later they exited the car and made it upstairs to Kyoko's apartment. Once inside, Kyoko groaned and flopped down on the couch. "With all this craziness I've had no time to study," she buried her face into a pillow.

Shizuo set his bag down and chuckled, "as much as you talk about studying, I'm sure you're lightyears ahead of the class," he sat down on the other end and pulled her legs into his lap. "You've had a tough weekend, how about you relax for the rest of the evening?"

Kyoko liked the sound of that, "You're right, and I'm going to do just that," she lifted her head and rolled over to sit up on her elbows. "I'm going to go take a nice long bath to start," she smiled and got off the couch. Momo rubbed against her legs and she bent down to pick up the cat. She nuzzled affectionately and purred in her arms, making her smile.

After feeding the hungry cat, she found herself enveloped by the hot water in the bathtub, fluffy mounds surrounding her.

The whole bathroom was an image of peace in her mind; candles lit the dark room in a soft orange glow, the scented bubble bath invading her senses with the heavenly aroma of honey and vanilla.

Kyoko sunk into the water a little, feeling her muscles relax into jell-o.

Meanwhile, Shizuo was making his 'new room' comfortable. He hung his clothes in the closet provided within the room and added his blanket from home to the large bed.

Momo also took a liking to the new blanket and was curled up at the foot of the bed, fast asleep.

After soaking her troubles away, Kyoko got out of the tub and dried off.

Shizuo lay in his bed, legs crossed as he read through a script his bother sent him. His eyes scanned the pages carefully until a little blur of pink caught his attention.

Kyoko leaned in the doorway clad in that same silky pink pajama set he once saw when she called him over to get rid of some punks at her door. He had to refrain from staring at her body too long.

"Um, do you mind if I stayed in here for a little while?" She asked sweetly.

Shizuo shook his head, "of course not," was all he could say.

She walked inside and came to sit on the other side of the bed, scooting over to lay her head on Shizuo's shoulder. "What are you reading?" She asked.

Shizuo wrapped his arm around Kyoko and hugged her close to his side, "it's a script. Kasuka sends them to me sometimes to get another pair of eyes on it," he set it down on the bedside table and leaned down to kiss Kyoko's head, but her lips found his before he realized.

He closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, wrapping his other arm around her waist.

Kyoko pulled herself closer to him and tangled her fingers in his hair.

Shizuo managed to pin Kyoko to the bed, now looming over her. Kyoko pulled back breathlessly and looked into Shizuo's eyes, "can you hold me until I fall asleep?" Her cheeks were stained with embarrassment, her eyes full of worry.

"Of course I can," he spoke soothingly and brushed her hair from her face tenderly, "let me turn the light off first," he smiled.

The pair fell asleep after he returned to the bed, his arms held her tightly, his face smothered into the crook of her neck.

A/N: not edited yet, sorry for any mistakes. Let me know what you think in the comments below, Thanks loves.


	13. Wavering

The following morning Kyoko woke up way before she intended, sitting up with a sigh. It was roughly three in the morning for what she could tell.

She lifted her head from the firm chest it laid on, "Shizuo?" She whispered, wondering if he was a light sleeper.

He didn't stir, so Kyoko cuddled closer and tried to go back to sleep. After a few minutes, sleep wouldn't come so she grumbled and slid out of bed.

She quietly shut Shizuo's door behind her and went into her bathroom to shower. She took as long as she possibly could, given the time and finished up, wrapping a towel around her body.

Shizuo had gotten up at some point and was in the kitchen making coffee. He was a little shocked to see he woke up alone.

Kyoko walked out now fully dressed and greeted the blonde when they met in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Shizuo," she smiled sweetly.

Shizuo smiled back and leaned against the counter.

Kyoko couldn't help but gawk for a moment; Shizuo was wearing a fitted t-shirt and a jacket over top. She quickly averted her gaze and returned to her senses and looking at her watch.

"I just need to get my bag and I'll be ready to go,"

She walked out of the kitchen and grabbed her bag, shoving her laptop and miscellaneous supplies into it as well.

The pair met at the door and left together.

Their walk was filled with random chit chat to the school until Kyoko tugged on the sleeve of Shizuo's jacket before he could walk away.

"Yes?" He smiled at her cheekily and turned to look at her.

Kyoko stepped closer and stood up on her tippy toes, their lips meeting for a chaste kiss.

That is until Shizuo wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in. The kiss turned eager and almost needy before they parted lips.

Their faces both tinted pink; Shizuo didn't want to let go so he held on a few moments longer before his arm fell to his side.

Kyoko relaxed on her heels and bit her lip, her teeth softly tugging at the tender flesh "I'll be done around three or four, will you be working?"

Shizuo nodded slowly, "I will. You should have a driver come to pick you up,"

Kyoko waved her hand dismissively, "I have to work afterward, so I'll just have Izaya's driver come get me," she looked up into his eyes, "if that's alright with you?"

Shizuo nodded his head and offered a reassuring smile, "of course," he leaned down and pecked her cheek, "I'll see you tonight,"

Kyoko handed him the house key before they parted ways.

The morning routine seemed rather boring today, so when Kyoko finally had a break around lunchtime she happily relaxed at the cafe lounge just outside the library.

She sipped her tea and typed away on her laptop, her eyes occasionally scanning the area. After finishing her sentence she saved her work and pulled out her phone to call Izaya.

When he picked up Kyoko immediately cut him off from his usual antics, "I'll be coming over after my last class, I'll need your driver to come and pick me up if that's possible,"

Izaya chuckled, "Of course, Kyoko-chan, what time?"

She relayed the time of her last class and they said goodbye.

Short and sweet, Kyoko smiled.

Her afternoon classes went by a little quicker than the morning lectures and half past three signaled the end of her school day.

As she walked through the halls and toward the exit she was stopped when someone stepped out in front of her.

"Ah, Kyoko, just the girl I was looking for,"

Kyoko took a step back, allowing her room to take in his appearance. She immediately recognized him from one of her lectures.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Sato?" She smiled and pulled her bag higher up on her shoulder. 

"I was wondering if we could compare notes on the next few chapters? I'm having a hard time keeping up with the new material," he rubbed his head sheepishly and looked away momentarily.

"Sure, I'd be happy to. Just email me your schedule and I'll compare it with mine," she went to walk away but he gently grabbed her wrist.

"Thank you so much, I appreciate it," he bowed and Kyoko nodded before waving and walking away.

She found the car waiting outside and got in as the driver held open the door.

To her surprise, Izaya was inside as well.

"Good afternoon," they said in unison.

Kyoko giggled and set her bag down.

When they got inside Izaya's penthouse Kyoko immediately set up her things at the desk adjacent to Izaya's.

"What's the rush? It's not like we don't have all evening," he leaned over Kyoko and she pushed his face away.

"I- We need to figure this out before it progresses any further than this," she stated.

This did nothing to deter him though. He spun her chair around and leaned down dangerously close to her face, making her freeze up.

"I think we should stop at Russia sushi first, grab some takeout and then regroup with our intel," he pulled back.

"You're always so backward, Izaya. We should have stopped there first if that's the case," she rolled her eyes, but her stomach agreed.

Izaya cast her a look.

"Fine, but let's make this quick,"

The pair left and Izaya managed to persuade Kyoko to take the train.

Something about taking in all the fresh air before a long night.

On their way back to the train station it had started raining, resulting in both of them getting equally drenched.

They both ran for the train and hopped on just in time, both keeled over for breath. They stood up and laughed together; for a moment Kyoko forgot what kind of person Izaya really was.

Or was this the real him?

Kyoko hardly noticed the way Izaya was blocking her body from view as they rode the train. It was still pouring when they got off and ended up soaking wet again by the time they got to the penthouse.

This time, however, Kyoko realized that anyone could see right through her clothes.

She gasped and tried to cover herself as best as she could. Izaya had disappeared briefly, but returned with towels and handed one to Kyoko. She took it quickly and covered herself up. The chill in the air made her shiver and hold the towel tightly around her shivering frame.

Izaya angrily handed her some clothes as well, not wanting to give them up.

Kyoko took them and went to go change. She stripped her wet clothes and hung them up to dry in Izaya's laundry room.

Then, she settled at her seat and got to work.

After a long silence looming over the room, Izaya spoke up for the first time.

"I'm not drawing up any leads so far, how about you?" The informant peeked around his screen and took in the ever so concentrated Kyoko looking through notes.

He noticed her hair was now pulled back into a tight ponytail and she was wearing glasses.

She didn't seem to hear him, so like the creep he was, he continued to stare at her.

His eyes wandered her body now clad in his clothes. Her shoulder was peeking out of the shirt as it hung off her body, clearly too large for her.

Izaya grimaced at himself for indulging in such primitive behavior and yet he couldn't look away. If only he could figure out how to get under her skin as she did him, this madness wouldn't cease.

When he finally pulled his eyes away Kyoko snapped out of her trance and pulled out her phone as it buzzed in her bag.

"Hello?" She answered sweetly.

It made Izaya's stomach churn; he knew it was Shizuo on the other end.

Something in her voice changed after Shizuo spoke to her. If only he knew what they were saying.

Kyoko's voice slipped down an octave as she tried to suppress her flirtatious giggles.

Izaya rolled his eyes and closed his laptop, turning to spin in his chair. He could still see her in the window.

She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and bit her lip.

"We got caught up right when it started," she laughed and her cheeks reddened.

"I should be heading out soon, oh, you're here?" She let go of the hair between her fingers and sat up a little more, "my clothes might still be damp, but I'll be down shortly,"

She hung up and started collecting her things, "I'll see you tomorrow, Izaya. Let me know if you find anything," she left to go change and reemerged a few minutes later in her still wet clothes.

Izaya internally groaned at the sight and then cursed himself for the millionth time.

"Allow me to walk you downstairs" his suave demeanor returned as he escorted her to the elevator and down to the main floor.

He wanted to watch Shizuo squirm as he led her by the small of her back, as he looked his girlfriend up and down and then to the beast.

And squirm he did.

That is until Shizuo took Kyoko in his arms and leaned down to kiss her on the lips.

All the while Kyoko was unaware of the tension. She was beyond tired, but when Shizuo kissed her she felt rejuvenated.

Shizuo shut his eyes and delicately slipped his tongue into Kyoko's mouth, gently sliding his hand down to softly grope his girlfriend for extra measure.

He knew this was childish, but if Izaya wanted to act all high and mighty, he would show him the difference between him and the dirty informant.

Kyoko softly yelped into the kiss at the touch and pulled back a little, teasingly slapping his hand away.

For an added measure, Shizuo nuzzled into her neck and softly sucked the skin, his eyes never leaving Izaya's.

Then, the couple left hand in hand.

Izaya made it back upstairs and slammed the door shut behind him.

===============

The next day Kyoko received an email from Sato, detailing his free periods. They both shared a free slot before lunch, so she emailed him back suggesting that be their study time.

Kyoko looked beside her as Shizuo slept soundlessly in her bed, sprawled out and all.

Her mind reminded her of last night's encounter and she had to shake the thoughts away.

Not before running a finger over her slightly swollen lips.

Kyoko got up and started getting ready for the day.

While in the shower Kyoko's phone woke the sleeping blonde as it rang.

He groaned and rolled over to grab the phone. He answered it upon seeing the caller ID.

"What do you want, flea?" His voice was raspy with sleep.

"Ah, good morning you filthy brute, I was looking for Kyoko, seeing as I called her phone," Izaya sneered back.

Shizuo rolled his eyes and sat up, "As a matter of fact, I believe she's in the shower. So if you'll excuse me," Shizuo hung up with a chuckle and placed her phone back down before getting up with a stretch.

Kyoko was wrapping a towel around herself as Shizuo walked in.

He stepped up to the sink and leaned over to peck her forehead. "Good morning," the said in unison.

Kyoko smiled and went into the closet to get dressed. The weather prediction for the day was promising and swayed Kyoko to dress for the warmth in the air.

She rummaged through her dresses and skirts, laying a few outfits out on the ground. After a few minutes, she decided on a pastel blue mini skirt and a white blouse. She threw a cardigan on over top before walking out of the closet and back into the bathroom.

Shizuo was now in the shower and Kyoko started on her makeup.

Izaya had mentioned she'd be needing to do some recon later in the evening at a known hangout for some likely suspects.

When Shizuo stepped out he let Kyoko know that Izaya had called before leaving the bathroom. 

Kyoko dabbed some lip gloss onto her lips and stepped back to admire her handiwork. After gathering her things she skipped over to the entryway to find a pair of shoes. 

She settled on a pair and doubled checked all of her things before standing up and checking her watch.

On cue, Shizuo walked out of his room dressed and ready to go. He pulled his shoes on and the pair left the apartment. 

Their walk was accompanied by small talk about what they would be doing today; each equally busy. 

Leaves hummed in the wind, flowers danced as they fell from the trees. Kyoko inhaled deeply as the smell of summer took over the air. Momentarily distracted she stumbled over her own two feet. 

Shizuo caught her before anything else could happen and they both laughed. 

"Sorry, I was caught up thinking about summer," She continued to giggle. 

Shizuo ruffled her hair, his hand falling between them. He took her hand in his and they remained that way until they arrived at the gates of her University. 

Kyoko smiled at the slightly disappointed look Shizuo had when they parted ways. 

"I'll see you later," He kissed the top of her head once more before walking away with a quick wave. 

Kyoko walked inside the main building and to her first class. 

This morning lecture was rather boring so Kyoko started working on the case she and Izaya were doing together. She was able to track one of the posters from The Dollars forum to the incident at her house.

Turns out that it wasn't one of the families attacking their home, and that they only wanted them to think that. The Ryuuga girl was still missing though, which raised some questions. The man Kyoko was supposed to meet today was the original poster.

Suddenly remembering Izaya, Kyoko pulled out her phone and quickly texted him. 

As she went over all of her case notes again, something wasn't making sense. 

She couldn't figure out why everything seemed like a 'he-said, she-said' and it wasn't leading to anyone in particular. 

Feeling a headache coming on, she paused her mini investigation and tried to listen to the lecture. Her phone buzzed so she snuck a peek at what Izaya was saying. 

'Aren't you supposed to be in class, Kyoko-chan?' 

Kyoko smiled and told him to chat with her in the chat room.

Ignoring the lecture once more she opened up the online chat room for the Dollars and started once with Izaya.

'I am in class, but it's honestly dreadful. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about this case,'

Izaya logged on and immediately started typing,

'Well, I'm all ears,'

Kyoko started typing out her response. 

'Everything so far leads to something or someone and it's turning into a he-said, she-said game and there isn't one person at the head of all this. I'm thinking it's a bunch of people covering someone's tracks to hide the bigger picture. If this guy doesn't have any information for us, then this is the theory I'm going with.'

She added in before Izaya could say anything else,

'The Ryuuga girl is still missing, and the people who attacked my house weren't associated with any of the families or the Yakuza in any way. Why would they want us to think that?'

She sat back and looked up at the professor as they wrote on the board. 

Izaya was thinking over Kyoko's response. She was definitely onto something. 

'I think you've got a strong lead forming, let's talk more when you get here,'

He logged off and Kyoko did the same. 

The lecture was just about done so Kyoko started packing her things up. When the class ended she left and headed towards her next class.

===================

Morning classes were now over and Kyoko needed a pick me up. Per usual she made her way to the cafe outside of the library and got herself something cold and caffeinated.

She sat down at one of the tables and sipped her drink leisurely and scrolled through her social media in the meantime.

As she scrolled she saw a lot of people going out and drinking with colleagues or classmates. It made her miss Yumi.

She was in the middle of texting her when Sato walked over to her and cleared his throat.

"Have you had lunch yet?" He asked, looking around the room before at her.

Kyoko tucked her phone away and looked up at her classmate.

"No, I was going to get lunch with my boyfriend after we finished up," she smiled up at him and finished her drink before getting up and disposing of the empty cup.

"So, shall we get started?" She grabbed her bag and started for the library entrance.

Sato followed and they found a place to work.

Not long into their lesson, Kyoko got a text. She tried to ignore them, until a few more followed. She sheepishly apologized to Sato and excused herself.

She stepped out of the library and opened the messages. They were from an unknown number and email.

"You're pretty bright for a stuck up rich girl," was all it said. Followed by another one saying, "too bad you'll let it go to waste," and the last one was blank.

Kyoko couldn't help but look around before heading back inside.

She continued her work with Sato as if nothing happened and eventually left things with him on a good note. He was able to grasp the material quickly and they finished sooner than they thought.

He thanked her again as they left the library and bowed when they went to part ways. Kyoko left the building shortly after and started walking off campus to a nearby restaurant.

Once inside she was seated and waited for Shizuo. She ordered water for both of them in the meantime.

The waitress brought the water over and Shizuo walked through the door not too long after. He saw Kyoko and made his way to the table to sit down.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a hard time finding the place," he breathed out.

Kyoko waved her hand dismissively, "I just got here myself, don't worry,"

The waitress came back over and asked if they'd like anything other than water to drink. Kyoko asked for an iced tea and Shizuo kept the water.

The pair looked over the menu once more before ordering.

"How's your day been?" Shizuo asked, taking a sip of water.

Kyoko thought about it telling him about the weird messages but decided against it for now.

"Boring actually, taking notes and studying. Today in particular just feels slow," she reached across the table and placed her hand over Shizuo's, "How about yours?" She asked.

Shizuo smirked, "Well, it's been pretty eventful. We had a few people try and run away from Tom and me, so it was fun chasing them down,"

Kyoko giggled and pulled her hand back when the waitress brought over their food.

The couple ate in comfortable silence, for the most part, some idle chat happened in between bites and sips.

They walked hand in hand back to campus and when they were going to part, Shizuo pulled Kyoko into his chest and leaned down to tenderly leave a kiss upon her lips.

Kyoko reciprocated and stepped up on her toes to deepen their kiss.

When they pulled apart, Kyoko smiled "Thanks for lunch today,"

"You're welcome," Shizuo smiled back and they pulled apart, "How late are you going to be tonight?" He asked, still holding onto her waist.

Kyoko honestly wasn't sure, "I don't believe I have an answer to that, but I'll do my best to keep you in the loop," she leaned back in to kiss his cheek once more before they released one another. They both said bye and parted ways.

Kyoko went back to the main building and went to her next class.

Whilst taking notes, her mind wandered back to Shizuo. Her fingertips danced over her bottom lip, where she could still taste him. She blushed and tried to regain her focus.

======

After an uneventful afternoon of classes, Kyoko made her way out of the building and off campus to the nearest station.

She pulled her headphones on once seated and listened to music during the ride to Shinjuku. Kyoko sent a message to Izaya, letting him know she was on her way.

He didn't respond until she was stepping off the train.

The walk was pleasant, the wind blew past and the people out on the street grew thin as she neared the building.

When she walked into the penthouse, she was greeted by Namie once again. But no Izaya.

Kyoko placed her things down and pulled her headphones off, placing them back in her bag.

"Izaya asked me to give this to you," she held up a shopping bag. Kyoko took it and looked inside.

A wig and an outfit.

Kyoko sighed and made her way upstairs to change.

She stepped into the spare room and closed and locked the door before pulling the contents of the bag out.

The outfit consisted of a black and red skirt and top, a black wig, red sneakers, and fishnets. At the bottom of the bag was a contact case.

After changing and putting the wig on, Kyoko walked in front of the full-length mirror in the room. She got closer and put the brown contacts in. To her surprise, they made her eyes almost black.

She stepped back to look herself over. She didn't mind the look, but it took her back to a time when she also dressed similarly.

====

Kyoko was leaning against a wall in a private room of a nightclub, waiting anxiously.

"Kyoko, you're up,"

She pushed off the wall and strode towards the ring in the center of the room, slipping in and sliding into a fighting stance.

The bell chimed and Kyoko lunged forward.

=====

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts and snapped her back to reality.

She walked over and pulled it open.

"You fit the bill, ready to go?" Izaya asked.

Kyoko nodded and followed Izaya downstairs to the car.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked once inside.

Izaya got comfortable, "Well, the man we're after is into girls that look like your get up, and he's rumored to be meeting with someone tonight at a club to exchange information about their boss, who we assume is behind everything we've been looking into lately," he paused to read a message, before tucking his phone away. "You're going to get close to him tonight and slip a small device on him. Should be simple enough," he added nonchalantly, handing her a photo of the man, as well as the device. 

Kyoko nodded to herself and sat silently during the ride. Izaya remained quiet himself, which was quite unusual.

When they got to the club, Izaya escorted Kyoko out. "I forgot to mention that your name for the evening is Akira. Your target is a man named Kanta,"

Kyoko was handed a wad of cash from Izaya before he disappeared somewhere. Assuming it was to bribe the bouncer, she strode to the front of the line, prepared to fork over some cash. To her surprise, she was let through. 

With her newfound confidence, she strode through the club and to the booming dancefloor. 

The music pulsed through Kyoko and she let it take control of her body. She wasn't going to let work get in the way of her alleviating some stress.

After the song had ended, and Kyoko left her heart out on the floor, she weaved through the crowd to the bar and ordered a drink. 

"You looked pretty hot out there, do you dance professionally?" Someone to her right asked. 

She turned with a warm smile and shook her head, "Not at all, but I appreciate the compliment," the man smirked and extended his hand, "Kanta, and you are?"

"Akira," She took his hand and watched as he brought the back of it to his lips and placed a small kiss. 

"Are you here alone, Akira?" He asked, sipping his drink. Kyoko received her drink and took a hearty gulp before placing it down on the bar. "Not anymore," She bit her lip and leaned in closer to him, displaying her chest a little more. 

Kanta paid for her drink and asked her to accompany him to the small VIP section he and a few other people were occupying. 

She spotted Izaya across the way, keeping a watchful eye on her. 

Kanta sat down on one of the armchairs and gestured for Kyoko to sit on his lap. She obliged and sat down, making herself comfortable. 

She palmed the device in between her fingers and leaned in closer to him, making a move to caress his chest. She slipped it under the collar of his shirt before pulling her hand away and excusing herself to the bathroom. 

Once she was away from the VIP section and clear across the club, she left and met up with Izaya a block or two away. 

"Great, now we can listen in on their conversation and figure out what's going on,"

They entered the car and pulled away, Kyoko melted into the seat and yawned. "Please take me home, Izaya,"

Her eyes fluttered shut soon after the words left her mouth and everything went dark.


	14. Struggling Between Sides

Izaya had carried Kyoko inside that night into her empty apartment and tucked her into bed, gently stroking her cheek before tucking stay hair behind her ear. She stirred, her face leaning into his touch.

The informant bent down and placed a kiss on Kyoko's lips; to which the sleeping girl responded. 

Izaya couldn't pull himself away before her lips entranced him once again. 

Kyoko kissed back, her arms reaching out and pulling the body she sleepily assumed was Shizuo. The room too dark for her tired eyes to adjust in time. 

Izaya cupped her face in his hands, deepening the kiss. Kyoko's eyes fluttered open, their lips still moving together.

Her eyes went wide when they met his rusty brown ones. Shocked and frozen in fear, she remained lip-locked until she managed to pull away. 

"Izaya?!" She shot up in the bed and moved back.

Izaya looked just as confused and shocked as she did, not expecting to lose control of himself.

"Kyoko wait, I can expl-" he tried to reason, fully expecting her to lash out and kick him into next week.

Instead, she started to cry.

She held her hands over her face and cried, her shoulders shaking silently. 

Izaya hesitantly pulled her hands away, kneeling at her bedside to level their gazes.

"Kyoko, I don't know what came over me..." 

"Just when I start to think differently of you, you do something to change my mind," she sobbed and pushed him away, unsure of her next move.

Izaya tumbled backward and quickly regained steadiness. "Kyoko-" 

"Just leave, Izaya, please," she stated firmly, her eyes darting around the room in a panic.

Her heart racing in her chest. 

Izaya stood and quietly left the room, leaving the apartment soon after. 

Kyoko sat there in her bed, trying to make sense of the situation but falling short of any reason or explanation. She held onto herself and continued to cry, not fully sure why she was crying. She ran her fingers through her hair, now fully aware that she still wore the wig from earlier. Kyoko pulled it off angrily and threw it across the room. 

The reality settled in and left the room and Kyoko's mind empty with silence and uncertainty. How does one even process this? 

With a hefty sigh and a growl of frustration, Kyoko threw herself back down on the bed and hid under the covers. 

Meanwhile, the informant sat in the backseat of his car, silently going over the situation in his head. He cursed himself for taking advantage of the situation, but also congratulated himself for a moment he had and may never have again. But then again, he did kiss her way back when and thought it would never happen again. 

Izaya grimaced, cursing himself once more for even thinking that way. How could he fall victim to such trivial fantasies once again? Why did this woman have such a tight grip on him, that even he, the all-powerful Izaya had succumbed to his desire for her? He slammed his hand down on the empty seat beside him, his other hand simultaneously combing through his dark hair angrily. 

Kyoko laid in bed for what felt like an eternity; until the sound of the door opening and shutting ran the blood in her veins cold. 

Shizuo had come home and made his way to Kyoko's doorway. He peeked in, noticing the shape of her body underneath the blanket. 

He bit his lip, wondering if he should come inside or go to his room. 

Kyoko willed herself to sit up and decided at that moment that she wanted to rid herself of Izaya's impression on her lips and mind. 

"Shizuo?" She called out, ultimately deciding for the debt collector before he could. 

He stepped inside and walked over to the bed.

The blonde bartender got all but a breath out before Kyoko's lips met his hastily. 

Kyoko made quick work of his clothes, pulling them off so fast it made Shizuo's head spin.

He reciprocated while crawling onto the bed, their lips still locked together, only parting to allow Shizuo to pull Kyoko's shirt over her head. Shizuo's growing excitement enticed him into the moment; his hands fumbling for the bedside table. 

Kyoko felt this and pulled him closer, silently begging for him to just continue. 

Their lips parted once more, Shizuo rested his head against Kyoko's as he caught his breath. "Kyoko, not that I mind, but what's gotten into you?" He chuckled and pulled back to kiss her forehead. 

Reality crashed down once again and Kyoko bit her lip, her gaze falling. 

"I can tell something is wrong, Kyoko," he brushed her hair out of her face and cupped her face in his hand. 

The small gesture made the tears resurface and spill over, making Kyoko feel nervous and anxious.

"Shizuo, I-" she looked up into his eyes and shut down; her body felt like it weighed a ton and it was refusing to move as her brain wished it to. She took a deep breath and calmed her tears.

"Izaya brought me home, and while I was asleep, he kissed me... a-and I kissed him back, but I swear I thought it was you... and when I woke up, I told him to leave. I-" 

Shizuo held his finger up to her lips and got up from the bed, gathering his clothes. He dressed quickly and practically ran out the door.

Kyoko collected herself and scrambled to get dressed, taking off after Shizuo.

She already knew where he was going and she feared the worst. She could see the path of destruction and followed as quickly as she could, her lungs beginning to burn. 

All Kyoko could think of was what awaited her when she got there. Would she like what she saw? Her feet pounding against the pavement in desperation. After skidding to a halt at the broken doors of Izaya's building, she sprinted into the elevator as quickly as her numb legs would allow. 

The usually quick ride up was agonizingly slow as her heart hammered in her chest and ears. The chime of the doors opening pulled her back to the situation and she barged through the tattered door. 

Furniture was flying, knives whizzed through the air. 

The two men were at each other's throats in a matter of seconds; Kyoko willed her legs to move before one of them could kill the other. 

"Stop!" She interjected, trying to pry them off each other. 

Their eyes could cut through a mountain if they wanted, and for once, the girl had no clue how to repair the issue. 

"Kyoko, you need to leave," Shizuo stated firmly. 

The brunette tried once more to get in between them, but Izaya decided to antagonize Shizuo. 

"She should be here to see the monster you really are, Shizu-chan," he pressed closer, pushing Kyoko out of the way. 

At this point, Izaya was spiraling, grasping for anything to break the fall. 

Shizuo shoved back and Izaya managed to jump back a bit before he could receive the full force. 

Kyoko stumbled back and fell into the couch behind her, yelping in surprise. 

Izaya's eyes flew to her, distracting him from the incoming blow aimed at his face. 

Kyoko gasped and jumped up, rushing to pull Shizuo back and failing. Instead, she managed to get between them once more, hoping Shizuo would stop. 

He didn't.

He couldn't. 

Kyoko braced herself for the impact; Shizuo's fist met Kyoko's braced forearms. Upon realization, Shizuo reached out for Kyoko but fell short as his anger got the better of him. "Why are you always defending him?!" He roared, his mind not putting together that he had hurt Kyoko. 

Izaya bent down to help Kyoko stand, examining her wounds. 

"I don't know what you mean, Shizuo. I just don't want you to do anything that you'll regret, I-" 

Shizuo whirled around and punched the wall, "Kyoko, you know who he is, how he can be, and yet you choose to be around this cockroach!" 

Kyoko bit her lip as Izaya pushed her behind him.

"Shizuo, please. Let's calm down and go somewhere to talk, please," she begged.

Shizuo glared Izaya down, his eyes flicked towards Kyoko, who actually looked scared. 

This managed to snap him back to reality.

"You can stay here and protect him, but I won't stand by and watch anymore," he flung furniture out of his way, stopping a few feet from them both, "I really do love you, Kyoko, but I can't continue to be with you if he is part of your life." Shizuo's voice was stern and powerful, cementing his words deep into Kyoko. He spun around and left without another word.

Kyoko fell to her knees and held herself, crying silently. 

What just happened?

Izaya felt the urge to comfort Kyoko but started picking up the mess around the apartment instead. 

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Kyoko stood up and wiped her puffy red eyes. She crossed the room towards Izaya and wrapped her arms around him, startling him.

"I know deep down that you're not as horrible as you want people to think," she lifted her head from his chest and stood on her tippy toes to place a kiss on his cheek. Reluctantly, she pulled away and looked up into his eyes, "Goodbye, Izaya." 

She slid out of his grasp like sand, and before he knew it, she was gone. 

=======

After finding Shizuo, Kyoko had settled him down and they were both leaning against a building, talking. 

The mood had settled a little, and Kyoko managed to get a smile from Shizuo. "I know neither of us is the best at dealing with our feelings, but I want to figure it out together," she wrapped her arms around the taller man and hugged him tightly. 

For the first time in a long time, Shizuo felt normal. He felt like he could breathe and a building wouldn't topple over. Kyoko made him feel safe, loved, human. He sighed and nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her scent deeply. "I would love that," He cooed, gently stroking her hair. He wanted to capture this raw moment in all it's glory; Shizuo never wanted to lose this. He never wanted to lose Kyoko. 

After standing together in one another arms, they decided to walk the rest of the way home hand in hand. Once inside, they both changed and climbed into bed together; falling asleep wrapped in each other's embrace.

The following morning, Kyoko was too tired to even get out of bed, and when she tried, her arms ached. She looked them over and remembered Shizuo's punch. She twirled her arms around to get a better look and to evaluate the bruising. It was already blue and purple, which made Kyoko wince. Regardless, she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to shower.

The warm water helped relax her muscles and eased some discomfort until she left the shower and stepped out into the brisk bathroom. 

She could see Shizuo still sleeping so she shut the bathroom door and proceeded to get ready for the day. After getting dressed, she checked the time and decided to head out early. 

Before she left, she scribbled down a note for Shizuo and headed out. She was to meet with Shinra and Celty today, so she got on the next train and made her way to their apartment after getting off. 

Once at their door, it was pulled open before she could even knock and was pulled into a tight hug by the energetic Dulahan. Kyoko smiled and hugged her back just as tightly. 

"Good to see you Celty, I've missed you," they pulled apart and she pulled her into their home.

Kyoko removed her shoes and smiled at Shinra as they entered the living room.

"Hey Shinra, I've got some bruises for you to look at," she smiled sheepishly and removed her sweater to show him her arms. 

His eyes went wide and Celty's body language changed as she furiously typed away on her phone. 

"It's a long story, " she quelled them momentarily before taking a seat and signing; then delving into the details of last night's ordeal. 

Once she was done, Celty was fuming and Shinra was looking at Kyoko sympathetically. 

"If I'm not mistaken Kyoko, I think you're in love with both of them," Shinra added. 

Celty jabbed him in the gut.

Kyoko looked between them confused. 

"W-Well, on the bright side, nothing seems to be broken," he added cautiously. 

Kyoko sipped her tea and thought about what Shinra had said. There's no way she loved Izaya. 

Celty pulled her from her thoughts, holding up her phone for her to read. 

'Maybe you need some time to yourself. Let's have a girls day,' 

Kyoko could see the excitement in her body language and nodded, "that sounds like a great idea Celty," 

Celty turned to Shinra and typed something out. 

Shinra sighed, "it hasn't even been a full twenty-four hours since they nearly killed each other; that doesn't seem like a good idea," he groaned. 

Kyoko wondered what she had said but decided to leave it alone and focus on herself and Celty. 

Kyoko watched as Celty put on something more comfortable and went to grab something. 

She came back a moment later with some magazines and a few movies.

Shinra left and the two spent the afternoon relaxing. 

When Shinra came back he wasn't alone. 

He came into the living room, holding his hands up in silent defense. "He followed me!" He cried, running over to Celty. 

Kyoko wanted to be angry, but she couldn't bring herself to be. 

Izaya looked like a mess. 

Kyoko stood from her spot on the couch and sighed, pulling him into another room. 

"What are you doing here?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Izaya ran his hand through his hair and shrugged, "I don't even know..." he scowled, looking more like himself. 

"All I know is that I can't leave things like this. I'm sorry for what happened, I just wish I didn't have to lose you too," he took a cautious step forward and slowly reached for Kyoko's cheek. "You're the first person to see the real me. It scared me at first, but now, I can't bare the thought of you no longer being around me," 

Kyoko didn't want to give into him so easily, but it was so natural and it felt right. 

"If I'm not mistaken Kyoko, I think you're in love with both of them,"

Shinra's voice echoed in her head. 

She pulled back, "Izaya, I can't... I love Shizuo and I can't love you too," 

Izaya's eyes went wide and Kyoko covered her mouth. 

"You love me?" His voice was barely above a whisper, as he closed the gap between them, gently brushing her hair behind her ear.

Kyoko swallowed hard and slowly raised her head to meet his eyes. 

They were a rusty storm of sadness and something else. 

"Kyoko..." he slowly leaned down and pressed their lips together. She didn't fight him like he expected her to.

Kyoko was so wrapped up in the moment that she kissed him back. It was an odd feeling. It wasn't lustful or urgent, but warm, and gentle. It stirred something in her that she hadn't felt before and it scared her. 

She pulled away slowly and averted her gaze, regret swelling in the pit of her stomach. 

"I-Izaya, I'm sorry, but this can never happen again... we can't see each other," she stepped away and left the room with tears flowing down her cheeks. 

Against Celty and Shinra's protests, she left their apartment in a hurry and ran out onto the sidewalk once she made it to the ground level.

Her chest felt heavy and she struggled to catch her breath.

She started running, away from the building and away from anything or anyone. Her mind was foggy with everything that had happened and it was driving her nuts not being able to think clearly. 

When she finally stopped, it was because she ran right into someone. 

"Kyoko?" 

She didn't recognize the voice at first, but when she looked up, she forced a smile and tried to excuse herself. 

"S-Sorry, I need to be going," she tried, moving to walk around them. She was cut off when he stepped in front of her, "You don't look so good, should I walk you home?" He asked, taking a step closer. 

Kyoko stepped back, her back meeting someone else behind her. She turned to apologize, but stopped when the other man turned her back aground and hugged her close, leaning down into her ear. "I think you need some rest,"

Before she could protest, she felt a sharp pain in her arm. Her eyes fluttered shut only moments later as she fell limp in the man's arms.


	15. Ikebukuro is a Scary Place

Unedited, kind of rushed. Sorry.   
♡

Izaya had run out after Kyoko but had no idea where she had gone. He tried her phone, but it kept ringing and eventually, just kept going straight to her voice-mail. He growled angrily and shoved his phone back in his pocket. 

He called his driver and eventually made it back home. Namie was there, working on something for him when he walked through the door. 

She picked up on his sour mood immediately and decided she wasn't in the mood to poke fun. She finished up what she was doing before making tea and setting it down at his desk for him. 

He spent the rest of the evening working on a few other random side projects, but he was having a hard time focusing on the tasks. 

Naime was getting ready to leave when his phone started ringing. 

He answered with his usual antics bit was quickly stopped when Shizuo growled angrily, "Is Kyoko with you?"

"I'm afraid not, Shizu-chan," he seethed. 

"She hasn't been here all day and nobody's heard from her, not even her family," 

Izaya's blood ran cold. He realized that he had to tell Shizuo that he had seen her before she ran off. Before he could get to that, Shizuo cut back in.

"I already know you went to see her at Shinra's," his voice was deep and annoyed. 

Izaya took in a sharp breath, "she ran out when I tried to talk to her. I tried going after her bit couldn't find her," he sighed. 

"She wouldn't pick up my calls and after that, it went straight to voice-mail," 

Shizuo sighed, falling upon another dead end. "I think something may have happened, Izaya,"

Izaya could hear the shift in his voice, not to mention the use of his given name.

"I'm afraid you might be right," Izaya huffed. 

"Come to the penthouse, I'm going to try and track her phone," he sighed. 

Shizuo didn't like the idea, but he knew Izaya may be his only hope in finding his girlfriend. 

The line went dead and Izaya got to work on tracing her phone. 

Surprisingly, a few minutes later, Shizuo had helped himself through the door of the penthouse and walked up to Izaya's desk, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Izaya's computer dinged a few times, letting him know the trace was complete. 

"I've triangulation the last known location of her cell. Its been shut off, so this is the best I can do for now," he wrote the address down and grabbed his parka and started for the door. 

Shizup grabbed his arm and looked him dead in the eye, "this doesn't make things okay between us,"

Izaya shrugged out of his hold and glared back, "I'm not doing this to make things okay between us, I'm doing this to find Kyoko. Like it or not, I care for her too," he growled. 

The men left the penthouse and headed for the address. It was near Shinra's apartment to no surprise, but they began walking around to different shops, asking if anyone had seen Kyoko. 

Most were dead ends, until they came to a small convenience store. The owner had seen her earlier, maybe two hours ago. They explained that she seemed upset, and a man had approached her. He didn't think anything of it because Kyoko seemed to know the person. 

"Do you have any survalence cameras?" Izaya asked, seemingly hopeful. 

The owner nodded and led them to the back to look over the footage.

After scanning over the footage, Izaya slammed his fists down on the table. 

Shizuo walked over, "What is it?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at the screens. 

"The bastard knew there were cameras and did a damn good job hiding his face," he ran a hand through his hair angrily, "it looks like she wanted to walk away, but he stopped her and next frame, she's being carried off," 

Shizuo bit his lip angrily, already going over what he was going to do to the man who did this. 

Izaya looked around for the owner, then began typing away on the computer.

"What are you doing?" Shizuo asked, genuinely curious. 

"Hacking into other nearby security cameras to see of I can get one that gets an angle on his face," 

Shizuo was glad he was around for once. 

"I got him," Izaya smirked, zooming in on the man's face. "I don't recognize him," he snapped a picture of his face.

"I need to call in a few favors," he whipped out his phone and made a few phone calls as they left the store and stood out on the sidewalk. 

A few minutes later, Izaya hung up and looked through his phone as a message came in. 

"He's a student at thr University Kyoko attends," he finally said. 

Shizuo cracked his knuckles and neck, "do we have an address?" He asked, rolling his shoulders. 

Izaya tucked his phone away and nodded, "We do," 

Meanwhile, Kyoko was barely coming to. 

She was on a cold cement floor. The room was poorly lit and smelled of mold. She tried to sit up, but found that she had her arms bound behind her back and her legs tied tightly together. Her mouth was gagged as well. 

After struggling to sit up, a door across the room was flung open and in walked Sato. 

He was smirking.

He bent down in front of her and removed her gag, "I'm guessing you're wondering why you're here?" He asked, helping her to sit up. 

Yumeko nodded, her throat to dry to try and speak. 

Sato pulled a bottle of water from his pocket and opened it in front of her, showing he had broken the seal. He held it up to her lips and she decided to drink some. 

"Well, for starters, you'll need a bit of background," he let her drink as much as she wanted before capping the bottle and setting it down. 

"You see, I come from a lower class family. My father worked a lot of odd jobs and eventually ended up working for the Yakuza; more specifically your father." He paused and pulled up a chair, crossing a leg over the other. "Back when your very own father was still figuring everything out about the underworld, so was my father. As it would happen, they got into some serious trouble with some American mafia men. Things didn't end well, and to save himself, your father threw mine under the bus and let him take the fall for what had happened." He leaned forward in his chair, gripping Kyoko's chin. "Thats where you and I come in," he smiled. "My father was thrown in jail to rot for the rest of his life while your father went on to become successful and lead a happy life," Sato rubbed his thumb over her cheek and pulled back, "Since hearing this story, I've worked my hardest to climb the ranks in my social life, as well as my economic standing but alas, to no avail. I even had to change my name so I couldn't be tied to my father," 

He leaned back in his chair again and sighed, "My father only wanted what was best for his family, and its only natural id want more from life than an apartment or eventually a family that's going to struggle along with me," he smirked, "So, I came to the conclusion that the only way I could make a name for myself was to kidnap you, exact revenge on your father for what he'd done and make him pay by sacrificing his cherished little Kyoko to none other than myself, as my wife." 

Kyoko gave him a look, "What makes you think my father will hand me over and marry me off to you?" She asked. 

"I'm glad you asked that," he waved his hand and in came, another man, dragging her brother in after him. Her eyes widened and she struggled against her restraints. Her poor brother had been beaten. 

"You see, I've spent a lot of time formulating this plan, and I don't intend to back down. Your father will do anything I say, and if he doesn't, I'll kill your brother and bring the entire Yakuza down with me if I have to." He chuckled, "I've been behind the scenes of every move the Yakuza has made since I was young, and I doubt they'll let their dirty little secrets out over one Yakuza boss' daughter." He laughed darkly, "You're one woman, and I doubt they'll let go of the lifestyles they have over you when everything is on the line," 

Kyoko bit her lip and hung her head; he was right after all. This was an inside operation from the beginning and there was no way they would let this all blow up in their faces. Not unless they had the upper hand on this guy.

Sato got up from his chair and bent down to Kyoko's level, "So, what do you say?" He asked. 

Kyoko looked up, then to her brother, "see that he's properly treated and I'll go along with your deal," she swallowed hard.

"Excellent," he smiled and released her, allowing her to go along with her brother in the meantime. 

"Get a hold of her father," he sneered. 

Kyoko was allowed to stay by her brothers side until a doctor was called and brought to him. Then, she was taken into another room where Sato was. 

"Ah, there you are. I just spoke to your father," he smirked and walked over to Kyoko, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Everything is going exactly as planned," he pulled her into his chest and pulled a small box from his pocket. 

"It's not exactly traditional but, here," he opened it up and a ring sat cushioned inside. 

Kyoko frowned at the situation, but allowed him to slide it onto her finger. "Fits perfectly, wonderful," 

He snapped the box shut and put it back in his pocket.

"So you just want power, right? A claim to the Yakuza?" She asked, looking around the room. 

Sato nodded, "precisely, my dear," 

"So why not get close to someone in the Yakuza and earn a claim?" She asked.

Sato chuckled, "I want what I want now, and believe it or not, I've wanted you too, for a long time," he stepped closer to Kyoko and pinned her between a small table and himself. "I've known you since you were in middle school, and when I saw you, I knew I had to have you," he leaned down to her neck and nuzzled close.

"S-Sato, this is a bit forward," she tried to reason. She didn't want to anger him and push any leeway she potentially had. 

He backed away and cleared his throat, "You're right, I apologize," he straightened out, "I originally planned to court you properly, then I found out you were involved with Shizuo Heiwajima," he rolled his eyes.

Kyoko thought about Shizuo and wondered if he was looking for her.

Sato looked Kyoko up and down, "I suppose a peck on the cheek wouldn't hurt," he pressed. 

Kyoko didn't say anything as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her cheek. His hands gently holding her waist. 

The doors flung open and there stood Shizuo and Izaya, beaten and bloody. 

Shizuo lunged for Sato and pulled him away from Kyoko.

Izaya came to her and asked if she was okay, and looked her over for any damage. 

Shizuo had Sato pinned against the wall by his throat, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you in a hospital," he growled. 

Sato grinned and looked to Kyoko.

"Because he's deeply involved with the Yakuza's dirty secrets and has threatened to take everyone down with him unless I marry him," Kyoko finally said, defeated. 

Izaya's eyes went wide before he burst into a fit of laughter.

Everyone except Shizuo gave him funny looks.

"Kyoko, hes bluffing!" He clutched his stomach, "Sato has nothing, and even if he did have dirt on the Yakuza, whos going to believe him? I mean come on, he's a poor thug trying to make a name for himself and is trying to marry his way into this?" He laughed even harder, "What's stopping your father from killing this man? Or the whole Yakuza burying one man's so called dirt along with him?" He manged to calm down a little bit.

"But he has my brother-" she went to add, before he was escorted in by the doctor from before. 

"Your brother is fine," the man said. 

Kyoko ran to her brother and engulfed him in a gentle hug. He hugged back, "thank goodness you have two lunatic boyfriends," he chuckled. 

"Dad knew what was happening from the beginning, he just wanted to see if Sato would do anything rash,"

Kyoko exhaled in relief. 

"Now, tell me again why I shouldn't put you in the hospital," Shizuo grinned maniacly. 

Sato paled and looked around for any help. 

There was none. 

Kyoko pulled the ring off her finger and threw it at Sato before leaving with her brother. 

There was an ambulance waiting for them outside, as well as her father. 

He hugged his children upon seeing them and allowed his son to be looked over. 

"Kyoko, I'm so sorry you got wrapped up in all of this," he kissed the top of her head and hugged her again. 

Izaya walked out a moment later and her father thanked him, "I'm going to check on your brother," 

Izaya didn't care about anything else, so he pulled Kyoko into his chest and hugged her tight. "Kyoko I was so worried about you," he sighed, brushing down some of her hair.

"Izaya, I have to admit something to you," she whimpered in between tears. "I love Shizuo with all my heart, but I love you too," she sobbed. 

Izaya shushed her, "shh, I know and its okay if you don't end up with me... I just need you to know that I love you too, and I'll always be here for you," 

They pulled apart and Kyoko reached up to ruffle his hair. 

Shizuo came out a minute later, dragging Sato behind him. He brought him to his knees before Kyoko and he father came back.

"Apologize you filthy scum," Shizuo kicked his back so he was bowed before them. 

"I am deeply sorry for the trouble I've caused," he whimpered, blood trickling down his face and onto the concrete. 

Sato was then hauled off by some men in suits and taken away. 

Shizuo swooped Kyoko up and hugged her, then peppered delicate kisses all over her face. "I'm so glad you're okay," he breathed in between kisses. 

Kyoko laughed, "I'm glad you put your differences aside to rescue me," she smiled. 

♡  
I think I'm just going to end the story like this and start an Izaya fic next. I started this one with an idea and it could've been more thought out, but it is what it is. Halfway through, I was struggling to decide who Kyoko should end up with, and I was favoring Izaya but I couldn't do my Shizu baby like that. So I'll just write another one for Izaya. Hope you liked it if you made it this far. Sorry its such a shitty ending.


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